Shingeki no OC : Our story
by CaptSpeed
Summary: After 100 years of peace, Wall Maria has been breached. Once more, humanity has to fight back against the Titans. The new members of the 104th Trainee Squad will have to fight for their freedom in order so survive in this cruel world. Remake of SNK with OC's made by the readers: new faces, plot twists, scenes and adventures (semi-AU) / [On hiatus]
1. AN - Character Guidebook

****A/N:** Hey guys!  
**

**As I promised to some of you, here it is the full list of characters that I've accepted so far.  
**

* * *

**Trainees:**

**1 – Richard Krieg – CaptSpeed**

Birthday: August 3rd

Age after graduation: 16 years old

Height: 177 cm – Weight: 61 kg

**2 – Xin Tien – visceraEffect**

Birthday: September 22nd

Age after graduation: 18 years old

Height: 171 cm – Weight: 65 kg

**3 – Cay Endersen – PreciousCow**

Birthday: March 5th

Age after graduation: 17 years old

Height: 183 cm – Weight: 83 kg

**4 – Aksel Iversen – The Pocketwatch Ripper**

Birthday: September 19th

Age after graduation: 17 years old

Height: 179 cm – Weight: 71 kg

**5 – Antonio Rodrigues – crankiestnebula**

Birthday: October 19th

Age after graduation: 16 years old

Height: 183 cm – Weight: 79 kg

**6 – Elisa Peters – visceraEffect**

Birthday: December 28th

Age after graduation: 17 years old

Height: 171 cm – Weight: 64 kg

**7 – Jeorge Adalia – RagingKoopatroopa**

Birthday: July 14th

Age after graduation: 17 years old

Height: 193 cm – Weight: 82 kg

**8 – Cain Murrik – RagingKoopatroopa**

Birthday: April 4th

Age after graduation: 16 years old

Height: 177 cm – Weight: 62 kg

**9 – Iosif Blanchett – SerahRose-chan**

Birthday: May 14th

Age after graduation: 16 years old

Height: 192 cm – Weight: 90 kg

**10 – Emelia Orr – Emeliaaaaa1133**

Birthday: May 14th

Age after graduation: 16 years old

Height: 152 cm – Weight: 51 kg

**11 – Rosaline Nash – GhostWriterShadow**

Birthday: May 5th

Age after graduation: 19 years old

Height: 185 cm – Weight: 75 kg

**12 – Asta – Cerily**

Birthday: November 6th

Age after graduation: 17 years old

Height: 175 cm – Weight: 81 kg

**13 – Kaspar Bauer – Cerily**

Birthday: February 7th

Age after graduation: 17 years old

Height: 185 cm – Weight: 95 kg

**14 – Samuel Windle – Pixpi**

Birthday: April 29th

Age after graduation: 16 years old

Height: 155 cm – Weight: 48 kg

**15 – Jessica – Hilinarema**

Birthday: June 6th

Age after graduation: 16 years old

Height: 163 cm – Weight: 54 kg

**16 – Alberto Mejia – jorge25**

Birthday: October 5th

Age after graduation: 17 years old

Height: 175 cm – Weight: 70 kg

**17 – Alina Adler – WinterDragonGirl**

Birthday: January 2nd

Age after graduation: 15 years old

Height: 168 cm – Weight: 45 kg

**18 – Emma Muller – Cerily and davincii  
**

Birthday: March 20th

Age after graduation: 16 years old

Height: 154 cm – Weight: 55 kg

**Staff / Older OCs:**

**1 – Albert Schmidt – Hell Devil 13**

Birthday: March 13th

Age after graduation: 22 years old

Height: 180 cm – Weight: 76 kg

Military Organization: Scouting Legion

**2 – Christoph Weiss – visceraEffect**

Birthday: April 19th

Age after graduation: 26 years old

Height: 176 cm – Weight: 76 kg

Military Organization: Scouting Legion

**3 – Luca Reinmayr** **– The Pocketwatch Ripper**

Birthday: January 5th

Age after graduation: 23 years old

Height: 185 cm – Weight: 81 kg

Military Organization: Scouting Legion

**4 – Danika Horton – Hilinarema**

Birthday: September 3rd

Age after graduation: 23 years old

Height: 180 cm – Weight: 60 kg

Military Organization: Scouting Legion

**5 – Tia Ealdwine – PreciousCow**

Birthday: July 14th

Age after graduation: 26 years old

Height: 152 cm – Weight: 60 kg

Military Organization: Military Police

**6 – Melda Asker – The Pocketwatch Ripper**

Birthday: November 18th

Age after graduation: 32 years old

Height: 191 cm – Weight: 93 kg

Military Organization: Ex-Scouting Legion – Instructor

**7 – Liese Amsel – Cerily**

Birthday: September 12th

Age after graduation: 37 years old

Height: 177 cm – Weight: 80 kg

Military Organization: Military Police

**8 – Kai Kappel – Cerily**

Birthday: April 3rd

Age after graduation: 29 years old

Height: 190 cm – Weight: 86 kg

Military Organization: Military Police – Scouting Legion

**9 – Kurt Kappel – Cerily**

Birthday: April 3rd

Age after graduation: 29 years old

Height: 168 cm – Weight: 77 kg

Military Organization: Military Police – Garrison

**10 – Lutz – Cerily**

Birthday: August 25th

Age after graduation: 35 years old

Height: 170 cm – Weight: 78 kg

Military Organization: Military Police

**11 – Emily Lantsov – ****PetraRal7853**

Birthday: May 22nd

Age after graduation: 22 years old

Height: 152 cm – Weight: 55 kg

Military Organization: Scouting Legion

**12 – Benedikt Barabash – SerahRose-chan**

Birthday: November 2nd

Age after graduation: 35 years old

Height: 175 cm – Weight: 78 kg

Military Organization: Garrison

**13 – Simon – davincii**

Birthday: December 22nd

Age after graduation: 24 years old

Height: 162 cm – Weight: 65 kg

Military Organization: Garrison

**14 – Fabio Gerardi – ****Tatopatato**

Birthday: September 1st

Age after graduation: 23 years old

Height: 192 cm – Weight: 90 kg

Military Organization: Scouting Legion

**15 – Rosalia Derriks – ****Pikapikaluv**

Birthday: May 7th

Age after graduation: 24 years old

Height: 158 cm – Weight: 61 kg

Military Organization: Scouting Legion

**16 – Cooper eve Gillespie – Ignis eve**

Birthday: March 26th

Age after graduation: 24 years old

Height: 172 cm – Weight: 56 kg

Military Organization: Scouting Legion

* * *

**_Last edited: 4/6/2014_**


	2. AN - Character Sheet and Rules

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin or its awesome characters.

* * *

**A/N: **Hey fellow readers! Lately I've been inspired to create a story about SnK with _OC_ characters. My inspiration resulted from my fondness for this series and from reading the work of Akito54, Dancing bears, AuthenticTokyo and other _OCs_ authors so, I want to give them the deserved credits.

I want to create a story where the readers/creators of the _OCs_ get to decide what happens with the relations between the characters, the main events, who dies, _etc._, developing an interactive environment with you guys.

This fanfiction is open to your suggestions, since it's based in my/your _OCs_ fighting back for humanity, reclaiming the walls, killing some Titans and all that cool stuff.

So, I'm here to ask you guys for your help and to be patient with me, because this is my time writing in English and it's going to be a challenge for me, since it's not my main language. I will also try my best to get all the right details from the series, either through research, reading the manga, watching the anime again or asking you guys through the author notes/_PMs_ for suggestions.

That being said I'll accept your reviews and opinions about what I should or should not do.

This story is taking place during the current storyline, but no canon characters will exist. Despite this, changes on the main plot/events can be discussed.

Therefore I'm going to accept applications for the characters that play the role of **Titan Shifters** (to be on the side of humanity, or not) and shall also accept **Trainees**, an **instructor** for our squad, **head figures **for the three organizations (important figures like commanders/chiefs like Erwin, Dot Pixis and Nile Dok from the manga/anime) and at least one **squad leader for the Survey Corps** (like Levi or Hange from the manga/anime).

* * *

**Rules to participate:**

\- Send me your applications through PM or else I'll have to ignore it;

\- You can send more than one _OC_;

\- I'm thinking to accept around 15-20 characters, having at least 5 as main ones. Maybe I'll focus on a trio of main characters, like in SnK. For those 3 _OCs_ I'll make an epilogue explaining their background. The rest will have flashback moments during the story;

\- I'll be looking for 3 Commanders for the military organizations. I'll also need some characters that would like to join Garrison or the Military Police.

\- I will choose the main cast based on the quality of your characters;

\- Please, try not to base your _OC_ too much on the originals;

\- I'll need some OCs to play the roles of the Titan Shifters agains't humanity;

\- Don't make your _OC_ too over skilled, of course there's going to be some that stand out, but I don't want everyone to be a killing machine;

\- Be descriptive with your character, especially in their appearance, background story and personality.

\- This is a SnK story so, there will be _OCs_ that might end up dying. I will ask everyone that submits one if they would be alright with their character dying. You can refuse if you don't want that, it's your _OC_. But keep mind that some have to die, SnK doesn't have the happiest scenarios.

\- After I get the main plot to this story, I'll still be accepting more _OCs_, but as a minors characters they might end up being killed or their status will be unknown after completing their roles in the story;

\- Canon characters do not exist, and some events will still be played exactly as in the main storyline. However, the plot can change if we agree to do so (via _PM_, polls, reviews, _etc._);

\- Despite the freedom to give your opinions and to participate in the story, sometimes, I can disagree with you. I'll try to make everyone happy, but you will have to respect my decisions as the author;

* * *

**OC Sheet** (inspired by those three authors mentioned before):

**Name:** (Make the name related to the character ethnicity)

**Nickname: **(Optional)

**Age:** (Everyone with 15-18 will be part of the Trainee Squad; anyone over the limit will be a member of one of the three Organizations)

**Gender:**

**Birthday:** (_MM/DD_)

**Sexuality:**

**Military Organization:** (Survey Corps, Military Police, Stationary Guard/Garrison; if you're still in Training Camp, this will be the organization that you will join by the end of it)

**Background**

**History: **(Be descriptive here. I need you to focus especially in _how_ and _where_ did your character lived until the first breach on the Wall and what happened to him/her that day. It's SnK so, I expect to see a lot of dark pasts. If your character is already in one of the Organizations please enlighten me how it happened)

**Family: **(Name, age, status (alive/dead), occupation, opinion on the Titans)

**Personality: **(Be descriptive)

**Appearance**

**Height/Weight:**

**Skin Complexion: **(Fair, dark, white, _etc._)

**Body Type: **(Muscular, lean, average, fat, skinny, athletic, smooth (if you are a woman and don't like to look to muscular with abs and all that stuff); All soldiers should at least be lean or athletic)

**Breast Size: **(Skip if you're a male)

**Eye Color: **

**Hairstyle &amp; Color: **(Make it as natural as possible)

**Scars/Marks/Tattoos/Piercings:** (Optional, especially the tattoos and the piercings since it seems too advanced for the storyline give me your opinion)

**How do you wear your uniform?: **(Does it differ from the rest of the group? Underneath the uniform do you use a sweater like Annie? What color is the shirt?)

**Relaxation Clothing: **(Everyone won't wear their uniform all day. In the manga/anime, during meal time, characters use their normal clothing. Keep in mind this is an old time series so, no modern day clothing)

**Special Items: **(Optional. Items that were given to you by family/friends, a good luck charm, _etc._)

**Misc**

**Strengths/Weaknesses:** (3 to each one, nothing too _OP_ please!)

**Talents: **(Optional)

**Likes/Dislikes: **(3 to each one)

**Fears:**

**Habits:**

**Quotes: **(Optional)

**Love Interest: **(Optional - not everyone will be chosen to have romantic relationships. What type of person does your _OC_ likes, or if they already got someone in mind; this can be discussed later after the announcement of the characters)

**Titan Shifter **

(This application part is only for Titan Shifter OCs)

**Height:**

**Appearance:** (Nothing too extravagant)

**Special ability: **(Nothing too _OP_)

**Humanity's side/Other?: **(If you stand against humanity, there's no need to go into detail about the reason behind it right now, since in the manga/anime this is still one of the mysteries going on)

**Military information**

(This is only for characters that make part of one faction)

**Rank:** (Commander, instructor of the Trainees Squad, squad leader)

**How many Titan kills? Team and Alone:**

**Opinions about the other two factions:**

**Details involving the story**

**What is the relationship of your character with others?: **(This will be necessary after the announcement of the main plot. If you don't want to participate in this part, I'll judge your character based in what you gave me)

**Ideas of what will happen to your character for the story: **(It's optional, but highly helpful)

**How would you want your character to die: **(We'll go over this in detail more later if your character is one of the unlucky)

**Abilities/Statistics (1- lowly skilled, 10- highly skilled and tell why):  
**

**3D Maneuvering Gear:  
**

**Intelligence:  
**

**Martial Arts:  
**

**Battle Skill:  
**

**Agility:  
**

**Strategy:  
**

**Teamwork:  
**

**Passion/Will to fight:**

**Horse Ridding:**

**Physical Strength: **


	3. Prologue - Richard

**A/N: Hello guys Happy Easter to you all! I wanted to post an update yesterday, but I had things to do and unfortunately I couldn't make it in time.**

**With that said I present to you a character that I created, inspired on characters like Lelouch and Taichi (from Code Geas and Digimon).**

**At the end of this short chapter, the first recruit sent to me will also make an appearance. Her name is Xin and was created by visceraEffect.**

**I hope you enjoy and gain inspiration to create more OCs for this story.**

****Give me your opinion on this main OC that I created.****

* * *

**-A few years back-**

"Richard, stop hiding, it's bedtime!" a young mother yelled while looking around the kitchen for her son. "I know you're here in the kitchen; perhaps under the table?" She bent down to look under the table, but Richard was not there. All she could hear was the echo of a soft laugh that came from inside one of the kitchen cabinets.

"I can't believe you're hidden inside the kitchen cabinet again," the mother said jokingly. She could hear the laughter increasing now. She smiled softly at hearing the happiness of her child. He was always a jolly boy with a great sense of humor.

She became serious before opening the cabinet doors. "There you are, funny boy!" The boy was covering his face, laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world.

"I don't want to go to bed now!" the boy, Richard, said as he pouted. "Father said he couldn't tell me a story about his adventures in Scouting Legion today 'cause he was busy." His laughter had died down into a sad expression.

"So I'll wait until he's not busy. Unless you want to tell me a story about the Titans...?" Richard asked his mom, eyes sparkling with curiosity. He was always curious about the origin of the Titans, monsters that patrolled outside the Walls. Everyone was always afraid of them and barely mentioned them in normal conversations; the topic seemed taboo.

His mother sighed. "Richard, now is not the time to talk about it. You're still very young. Look at you, ten years old and already asking about adult things! You should take the opportunity to play with your friends instead of worrying about these monsters." Her words were friendly, but they had a sharp edge to them. "I promise I'll tell you what I know in about one or two years."

The boy sighed in defeat, his figure slumping slightly. "Okay, Mom, but don't forget; you promised me." He clambered out of the cabinet and followed his mother.

"At least tell Sophie and me a story about the world outside the Walls," the boy complained to his mother as they climbed the stairs. With an exasperated but amused smile on her face, the woman nodded. To this, Richard bounded up the rest of the stairs and into the room that his little sister and he shared.

"Come on, Mom, hurry up!" Richard exclaimed as he sat at the bottom of the bed with his equally excited sister.

Turning to her, the boy whispered, "Sophie, Mom's gonna tell us a story about the world outside the Walls!"

At first, both of them listened attentively as their mother spun a tale of green fields far as the eye could see. The clouds were white and fluffy, the air was clean and fresh, and there were animals and brightly colored flowers that didn't exist inside the Walls. Midway through the story, Sophie had fallen asleep, her hair strewn over her face haphazardly, hands curled around Richard's arm.

The young mother noticed her sleeping child and murmured, "And that's all for today. Your sister is already asleep so you should do the same." Rising from the corner of the bed, Richard's mom walked over and pressed a kiss to her son's forehead. "Good night, Richard."

"Good night, Mom," the kid said sleepily.

Before closing his eyes, Richard passed the kiss to his younger sister and said, "I promise you that one day I will defeat the Titans and I will take you to explore the world outside the Walls."

Richard never broke his promises and this was the one that would change his life forever.

* * *

The Military Police had accounts for every person within the Walls. Birth certificates lined the walls, covering shelves that stretched from the ceiling to the floor.

Richard Krieg was not an exception.

A man pulled out the form, his brows furrowing. He flipped through the information, useless information. Tanned skin, brown hair and amber eyes, he didn't need this. The picture slipped into the folder was always updated every two years. But Richard's hairstyle never really changed; he constantly had a military undercut with a styled fringe.

The Krieg family of German ancestry was always the rich kind. Members of the family were always in higher posts within one of the three military organizations. Privileges were extended to these kinds of families, as they were few and far between. They lived in Mitras, an area of land inside Wall Sina, the capital of the city. The man flipped the page over, eyes skimming the typed words.

Friendly, playful, a brief description of the personality that fit the picture. The man snorted at the words of kind and generous towards others. Those qualities were rare now, seeing as supplies were dwindling even inside Wall Sina. However, the skeptical expression faded as the man read further: bossy, self-centered and micromanaging. A satisfied smile crossed his face. Those were the attributes that mankind now had in the hard times of living inside the Walls.

The next page had information about his family, although each of them had their separate pages. His father, Josef, the former commander of the Scouting Legion, was now a military adviser. However, information collected between them was sparse, indicating an unstable relationship. The man scratched his head knowing that he wasn't home a lot of the time.

Josef had married a woman named Claire, a teacher in Mitras that lectured about the origin of Titans and the world outside. A small footnote scrawled in the corner read that she didn't want her son to join the Legion in fear of losing him. The man hid a bark of laughter at those words; Richard would obviously wind up in the Training Camp, then in the Scouting Legion, and then perhaps dead on the battlefield, that's what happens to almost everyone who joins the military. Claire would be distraught, but so would the little sister of the family, the man mused.

Sophie, in her own little section, was the younger sister to Richard Krieg. Her section lacked the information of the other members of the family, but one piece of information piqued the man's interest: he will do anything for her. He promised her that he would help humanity attain freedom and then travel with her to explore the world outside the Walls.

"Lofty ambitions, this son of a rich man." the man scoffed, his slight movements stretching the Scouting Legion outfit he wore.

The man flipped back to Richard's page. Height, weight, all of it was listed. 177 cm, 61 kg, a routine of jogging and attending lessons taught by his mother, these things were all rather irrelevant to the man. But the Taekwondo classes meant that he was at least somewhat prepared for the Training Camp. A small side note read that he didn't want to look bad in front of the others.

The man's eyes almost scanned past the words that were the most relevant to him.

Mother and sister have tried to convince him that he doesn't need to fight. Holds onto the fact that he wants to prove himself to father and to fulfill promise made to sister.

The man grinned. Bingo. He had big plans for him.

* * *

**Richard's POV**

It seemed like a regular, lazy day. I was walking home when I heard a large commotion: the city bells had begun to ring. At first I thought it was the Scouting Legion coming back from one of their expeditions, but everything I heard and saw were from military personnel running toward the gate of Wall Sina.

I did the same. I ran as fast as I could to find out what was going on. A sense of dread shocked my system at seeing the peace interrupted.

When I got there, all I saw were paralyzed men and panicked men, talking among each other.

My curiosity got the better of me and I tapped a man in a Military Police outfit, asking, "Hey! Excuse me! What's happening?"

The soldier looked at me sideways and replied with disgust, "Get out of here, you little kid. This isn't a matter for children."

I gritted my teeth, containing the anger I was feeling. I never liked the members; they always abused their authority and pretended to be higher-ranking than they were.

I looked at the man again and said now with a serious tone, "Hey buddy, you're talking to a Krieg. Use the manners taught to you by your mother, unless you want to be fired from your job."

The man froze, which made him look like a deer in headlights, then quickly apologized. Brushing off his previous snark, I made a sign with my hand for him to answer me.

"Wall Maria has been breached. Shiganshina has been occupied by Titans!" He paused to breathe. "Almost everyone was killed. The few who managed to escape have taken refuge within Wall Rose."

My fists clenched when I heard this. I knew that one day this could happen, after all we live surrounded by monsters and our only protection against them are the Walls, I thought bitterly.

In a daze, I went home and packed my bag. Mom was looking at me with sad, knowing eyes, but I ignored her. I changed into my casual clothes, a black shirt and beige pants and pulled on my brown boots. I was ready. I knew there was no turning back. I had to enroll in the military and help humanity. The Titans were coming.

From the doorway, Mom and Sophie were hanging, tears in their eyes. I didn't want to see them cry, so I looked at the floor. I didn't want to regret my decision. The stinging in my nose hit me full force as I was trying to speak, "Mom, Sis... I have to go..."

Mom sighed, stepping into the room, Sophie clinging onto her dress. "Your father told me to give you this when you decided to join the Training Camp. Here," she said as she placed a crucifix around my neck and fastened the latch. The necklace was a family heirloom, something more solid that made the Krieg family the Kriegs.

I looked at my sister and saw that she was holding onto a tiny bandanna tightly. She came to me and said with a faint, sorrowful smile, "I know you don't like to mess up your hair, big brother, so I made this with Mom for your arm. It's a good luck charm..."

Gingerly, I took the red bandanna from her and tied it onto my arm. "It's perfect, Sophie. Thank you so much. I already feel super lucky." I said the right words, because her smile grew wider and she ran to hug me.

I motioned for Mom to join in so I could hug them both. Upon separating, I said, "I'll be back, I promise to keep you safe. See you soon! Send a hug to Dad."

And with that, I left home to begin my adventure.

* * *

The grounds of the Training Camp looked exactly as I imagined it to be.

_"Well, here I am"_ My inner voice drawled. Learning about Titans and learning how to fight them. _"I already know all of these things, so it'll be so boring..."_ The pessimism was making my shoulders droop unconsciously, but I straightened up with a scowl. _"I can't be lazy! C'mon, Richard, you gotta do this!"_

My inner scolding helped me get into action and I looked around, staring at a large group of people around my age. Their faces reflected fear, while the others looked distant.

_"God, they must've gone through hell. Can't even imagine..."_ I thought, analyzing the people around me. _"If they're like this, how will they react if they find out I'm a higher-class family? Are they gonna accept me, or judge me?"_ My nerves spiked up and I felt my palms getting sweaty.

My thoughts and my stride were interrupted with me bumping into a girl with an Oriental-looking face.

Light tan skin, dark brown hair and eyes, her bangs were the weirdest part of her: although the right side was fine, the left side of it was almost shaved off, tufts of hair sticking out awkwardly. She looked like all the others; her hair pulled into a ponytail and she wore a plain white blouse and beige drawstring pants.

"Sorry, I was distracted and didn't see you," I said as I looked at her. She had a small stone in her hand and was rubbing it. _"She must be anxious..."_

I held my closed fist toward her with a hopefully friendly smile, waiting for her to do the same against my fist as a greeting. Fist bumps were how I greeted people, but she only looked at me like I was a madman.

_"Ah, crap. Made myself look bad, didn't I?"_ My internal self began to bash at me.

"I apologize again, this is my way of greeting my friends," I said with a small laugh. "I'm Richard."

She returned my smile and replied, "Hello Richard, I'm Xin. Please don't be offended by my reaction, I think it was funny way to introduce yourself. I also have a different way of greeting people. Where I come from, we greet each other like this..." She approached me quickly and gave me a light kiss on the cheek.

I was completely caught off-guard by that. Stumbling backwards slightly, I felt heat rising into my cheeks and my words were all flustered. "N-N-Nice t-to... meet you Xin," I stuttered and quickly tried to disguise my embarrassment. "W-We should hurry up and pack our things in the dorms. The instructor will probably start the speech soon."

I pointed towards the rickety cabins and she nodded her head in agreement.

_"Well, at least she doesn't seem to think I'm a total idiot. This is a good start, right?"_


	4. Prologue - Antonio

****A/N: Hey guys, I'm back and I'm finally posting the last teaser before I start the Training Camp chapters. I'm sorry I got delayed and couldn't make it sooner.****

**I will also correct Richard's profile: he's about 177cm tall and weights 62 kg. From now on, I think I'll use the metric system used in my country, so that I don't mess up any character appearance. I hope you don't mind. If it gets too confusing for you guys just let me know and I'll change back to feet and pounds.**

**I hope you enjoy this mini chapter and a special thanks for Viscera, Nebula and all the others who have been sharing ideas with me, love you all and I couldn't make it without your help.**

* * *

**-A few years back-**

Antonio was a young, nine year-old boy that lived in the Shinganshina District.

He and his friends usually played hide-and-seek in a forest near town, despite the warnings of their parents to avoid that zone, as it was known to house dangerous animals. However, all of them ignored their warnings and continued using the place as their playground.

One day, while they were playing, Antonio heard one of his friends shouting for help.

"H-Help! Someone, help me!"

In an instant, Antonio was up and running, his mind focusing on only one thing: saving his friend.

Running through dense shrubs, branches scraped at his skin, making him hiss in pain. The trees began to thin out slightly and that was where he glimpsed his friend and a large, brown creature circling around him. Stumbling into the clearing, he froze for a moment, but judging by the bear's deep growling and the screaming that his friend had done, the animal was preparing to attack.

"Watch out!" Antonio shouted at his friend. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. He saw the glinting claws and the poised mouth with gleaming canines dripping with saliva. Instinctively, the boy pumped his legs and jumped, pushing his friend out the bear's reach and instead, sacrificing himself. A searing pain in his chest made him open his mouth in a soundless scream. Warm liquid seeped into his ripped clothing and the bear rose on its hind paws, letting out an enormous roar.

"Run. Get out of here..." He rasped, before passing out.

Thankfully, Antonio was rescued by a squadron of Garrison men who had heard the noises and rushed over to help. The men tranquilized the bear, then transported Antonio to a local clinic, where his wounds were treated.

When his parents were contacted, they were in a state of panic. Arriving at the clinic, their Garrison uniforms were rumpled and stray hairs were sticking out. They were informed by their colleagues about what happened, and now, they just wanted relief and to know their son was alright.

"How is he!? Is he going to be okay!?" Antonio's father cried out, his face reflecting fear and anxiety. His mother was wide-eyed, crying while staring desperately at her son who was sleeping in the bed.

The doctor gesture silenced both of them. "He should rest. Come, let's talk outside."

With the silent creak of the door, the white-coated man spoke softly. "Your son is going to be fine. The gouges were not very deep, surprisingly. He was only hit in the shoulder. You should be glad the bear didn't hit any vital spots, and that the Garrison men were there to save him from further damage." A relieved smile graced the older man's face, and likewise, the tension in the two parents were taken off their shoulders.

The parents smiled, knowing that their son would soon heal. "Thank you for everything, Doctor. You saved our son," Antonio mother's breathed out, happiness staining her voice.

* * *

Once more, the mysterious man searched through the Military Police birth certificates. This time, he was looking for information about a certain young boy: Antonio Rodrigues.

The man pulled out the form after a lot of searching. There were a lot of Rodrigues in the Shiganshina District for some reason... While he flipped through the first pages, the man sighed in annoyance. "Why do they put so much useless information in here?" He asked out loud, adjusting his clothing.

The boy had fair skin, red hair, and brown eyes. Flipping through the pictures of the boy and his family, the man noticed that he acted like the Krieg boy concerning his hair; Antonio constantly wore his hair short; short and messy.

His father was of Portuguese origin and her mother was Irish. Both his parents were members of the Garrison military and currently active. They lived in Shiganshina District until the destruction of the Wall Maria. The man flipped through pages searching for more useful information, his other hand rubbing his creased forehead.

The personality section made the man laugh. Selfless with a protective attitude, the man snorted yet again. It explained why the silly boy hurt himself trying to save a friend that didn't even thank him afterward. The boy is also described as very mature and dependable boy for his age. However, his expression changed when he reached information about Antonio's weakness: he hates the type of people who are lazy, cowards and careless. He was stubborn and impatient. A small side note said that he got his bad temper from his mother. A small chuckle escaped his mouth after reading it.

"Guess it's not like father, like son."

The next page had information about what the boy's future aspirations were. The information collected stated that the boy had always wanted to join the Training Camp and become a Garrison soldier just like his parents.

"Maybe his opinion has changed after Wall Maria's fall..." the man murmured to himself. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy.

The man, now satisfied with the information about his family, turned back a few pages to Antonio's profile. His height was around 182 cm and his weight was 79 kg. More irrelevant information, the man thought.

As he skipped minor details, he regained interest in the boy's profile, reading a section that stated that from young age, he had 3DMG and sword lessons from his parents. "This could come in handy," the mysterious man mused.

The man straightened his back up and put down the files, re-wearing his jacket with the Scouting Legion emblem stitched into the back.

"Seems like I finally found the last member for your special Operation Squad, Corporal," the man said with a confident grin. He walked out the Military Police headquarters, a manila folder with the birth certificates under his arm.

* * *

**Antonio's POV**

It was a perfectly peaceful day and I was on my way home, debating the options I had in my future. _"Should I join the Garrison, like Mom and Dad..? Or maybe the Scouting Legion?"_ It sounds pretty fun, as much fun as flying through the air is...

I didn't even notice the guy in front of me until I bumped into him. Snapping my neck up, my eyes cleared and I quickly stammered, "S-Sorry, sir. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and—" He wasn't even replying, so when I looked at his face, I realized he wasn't even paying attention to me. His eyes were trained far, far away, like everyone else's. Frozen, like statues, people all stood as if Medusa had glared at each and every one of them. They were all looking at the main gate.

Confused, I looked in the same direction and all I saw was a huge sandstorm. I could feel the gritty winds from here and I wondered why I didn't notice it earlier. As soon as the sandstorm died down, the shadow of something tall peeked over the walls.

My heart stopped when I realized what it was.

I couldn't move; I could only stare at the large, rocky face of a Titan. Its mouth was bared wide open, white fangs uncovered by lips glinting in the light. "It can't be…! Titans shouldn't be any taller than 15 meters!" I screamed, and yet I couldn't say any more. Fear and panic stuck my words in my throat.

Although its eyes were hidden underneath the rocky structures of its face, I could've sworn I saw red eyes flash for a moment. The giant Titan's sand waves were still flowing from its body, but instead of around it, the sand was stinging my eyes.

I closed my eyes to blink for a moment, and when I reopened them, the Titan was already moving. I didn't even have time to react. A huge explosion rocked the ground of Shiganshina and the earthquake-like movement had me thrown on my back, skidding painfully until I hit a building. My eyes unfocused and everything was blurry when I attempted to sit up.

What was clear was the gaping hole in the Wall. The Titan had just kicked through the gate like it was nothing.

Chunks of what remained of the hole were scattered everywhere, squashing people underneath the debris. Houses were cleanly crushed by the large pieces and I could only watch as chaos and mayhem spread through the crowd as the realization hit them.

However, when I looked back up, the Titan was gone, as if swallowed up by the sandstorm it had created.

"No way..." I could only breathe out. With a hole that large, the Titans would easily... Screaming and wailing drowned out my own voice and all I could think of was of myself and my future. _"Would I be able to even make it to the Training Camp? No... Not at this rate..."_

_"W-Wait...Mom! Dad!"_ My thoughts flew to them as I scrambled to my feet, pain throbbing in my right shoulder. If they were to die... I tried to reassure myself. _"They'll be okay, it'll be okay. They're strong, they wouldn't be squashed under some petty rocks, right? Garrison soldiers are strong, just like the Scouting Legion..!"_

However, with the incoming Titans that were eagerly stomping their way through the hole, my own thoughts doubted themselves. Dad had been working since morning, so he was probably fighting the Titans to save as many people as he could.

My pounding feet and heavy breathing paid off as I burst through the door of my house. "Mom!"

She ran out of her bedroom, tears in her eyes. Mom squeezed me tightly in a hug that I knew had some kind of meaning to it. It wasn't the normal tight hug; it felt more like a hug of goodbye, of farewells and of realization of death. "Mom..." Her Garrison uniform was starched, looking sharp and it fit her presentable appearance, even if she was battling.

They were both the same, my Mom and my Dad... In the end, they couldn't value their lives above the lives of others.

"Antonio, listen to me," She knelt beside me, wiping my tears with her hands. "You know what my job is and I have a duty to uphold. You're a strong, growing boy, okay? The emergency boats are already loading, so go!" I could hear the distress in her voice and by the splotches of liquid on the floor, she was crying.

"B-but Mom...I don't want you to die!" I cried out and wrapped my arms around her tightly. "Please, don't leave me!"

I wrapped my arms around my mom. "Please, don't go!" Despite my pleading words, I already knew she would leave me. She always took her job seriously, and for the first time in my life, I wished my parents were in the Military Police.

"You think I'm going to let some Titan get the best of me?" She flashed me a cocky grin and loosened my grip on her as she stood up. "I'll show you just how strong your Mom is!"

Yet, her eyes spoke of a different emotion. "Time's running out, Antonio. Get to the river and escape. Your father and I will be there as soon as we can." The look she gave me was a mix of finality and parting lovers. The tears didn't stop rolling down my face as she hooked her 3DMG into the nearest building, launching herself away with only the scent of her faint perfume lingering in the air.

The least I could do was uphold her last words. I didn't want to believe my parents would die, but in the end, my subconscious already knew.

I took off, running as fast as I could to the place she had pointed out to me when I was younger.

The path I took was littered with so many dead bodies. Bodies impaled from the initial explosion, bodies lying on the ground with knives next to them. Suicide and blood, mixed in with detached limbs. People devoured by Titans almost never had parts of them left behind, but their blood remained, the brown roads stained permanently with red.

It was clear that peace would no longer linger in the faint hours of the day anymore.

_"No one can do anything to stop them. The Titans are too strong...We're too weak..."_ My fists clenched tightly as I kept running, pointing my eyes back to the road. I heard the moaning of dying people, crying for help, for God to save them, for someone to swoop down and rescue them. They wanted the angels, but, surely, I thought, the angels can't help us, because we're in Hell.

My eyes were so busy trained to the ground that I didn't realize I had run into a dead end. The imposing wall made my hands unclench and tremble. _"I'm done for..."_

Loud footsteps rumbled the ground behind me. A Titan had been following me the entire time, a large, sickly smile crossing its face. It looked sadistically ecstatic at the realization that it would have another snack, because blood was dripping from between its teeth.

I fell to the ground knee-first. "This...this is it...I'm going to die here, like a wimp. A coward." A sarcastic chuckle made its way out of my mouth and I closed my eyes, tilting my head up. I should just give up...

A large hand closed around my waist and I refused to open my eyes. I didn't want the last thing I saw to be some stupid Titan's smiling face. The rotting smell of flesh washed over me like a disgusting-smelling hot bath. I could only remember flashes of my life as they seemed to leave my brain before my death.

Before I was devoured, the Titan's hand was suddenly gone. The sound of whizzing wires and expulsion of gas was so familiar. A 3DMG. A firm grip secured itself around my waist and I felt the sensation of flying through the air. Cracking my eyes open, I flinched when the sound of flesh against ground rumbled, despite me and the unknown person being far away from the fallen Titan.

The Scouting Legion cloak tickled my face as we flew through the air, past others wearing the same uniform mixing in with Garrison members. The silver and blue wings of freedom, I remembered with a nostalgic grin. Mom had told me about them with a sense of wonderment in her words. _"An angel, saving someone...Was I worthy of being saved, over the rest of them?"_

The cloak fluttered downwards, and blonde hair peeked over the green. A jolt later, I realized we had landed and she gently set me down, brushing off dirt that had stuck to my pants. She was definitely older than me, with hair that reminded me of hay. The stray hairs not tied up in her ponytail framed her face that was now frowning at me. I sheepishly looked down, but my thoughts whirred. _"She looks so young...but she just killed that Titan and carried me as if it were nothing...!"_

"What were you thinking of?!" She began reprimanding me, and all of a sudden, I was reminded of Mom. "I know it's normal to feel fear, but you can't just give up and die like that!" Her hand clapped on my shoulder harshly and I felt the muscle and the strength behind her grip.

"Panic..." I muttered and I heard her let out a sigh.

"That can't be helped, I suppose. We'd better hurry, the boats are almost full." Grabbing me by the hand, I was half caught off-guard by her bold decision, but with the urgency of the situation, I told myself I was silly for worrying about things like that. She easily cut through the crowd, what with everyone staring at the emblem on her back. She let of my hand when we got to the front and my eyes strayed to the crowd that was trying to push through.

Men and women, children of all ages were standing, looking like a crowd of mice without a leader. Panic, fear, helplessness, desperation, all of it reflected in their eyes as they scrutinized me like a piece of pig on a butcher's stand.

I turned my head away.

_"It's useless to try and empathize. This world is harsh..."_ I told myself as the Scouting Legion woman led me onto the stuffed boat. I saw people with their faces hidden by their hands, others rocking back and forth with a traumatized expression on their faces. I saw people my age, emotionless and broken, tears running down their faces. I was one of them.

I sunk to the ground, their expressions slowly affecting my own.

"Hey...uh...what's your name?" The blonde woman awkwardly scratched the base of her ponytail with a pitying expression.

"Antonio," I replied vaguely, my eyes not meeting hers, but occasionally glancing up.

I saw her flash me a smile. "I'm Danika. Sorry...about the lecture earlier. I can't stand people that take their lives for granted..." She trailed off, but I saw the concerned expression on her face.

"I know what you meant." My voice was soft, just like the weak smile on my face.

After a few minutes of silence, I felt the boat starting to move. The sound of sloshing water broke the silence and for some odd reason, it felt comforting. The boat was probably at its full capacity, as the back of another man was pressing uncomfortably against my legs.

"Mom, Dad…" I hadn't meant to say it out loud, but Danika heard me.

"Don't worry about them. I'm sure your parents are on one of the two boats," Danika patted my head in an attempt to be comforting. She was wrong by a long shot.

"My parents are helping the citizens. Garrison members. They won't run until everyone is safe," I said sorrowfully. She didn't respond this time, instead simply grabbing my hand. Danika was warm, compared to me, like an older sister I had never had.

_"Surely, everything would be okay, right?"_

* * *

**Normal POV**

Garrison members lined the walls, their uniforms almost glowing in the sunlight. The loud creaking noises signaled the closing of the gates that accessed the inner area of Wall Maria. Cannons outside of the walls were busy, the powder flying in the air, making soldiers manning the weapons cough. Normal Titans were crippled by the large spheres of metal, but their gait was undeterred in the end.

"Close the gate! If they break through here, we'll lose all of Wall Maria!" A soldier's voice floated out and others agreed with shouts, until another man screamed back,

"But the citizens in Shiganshina! They'll die!"

They all began to argue back and forth, until they all realized that the gate had just closed with a final thump against the ground.

One soldier spat on the floor, grumbling to himself. "All of you. Cowards, the lot of you."

"If you aren't one, why aren't you using your 3DMG to kill the Titans?"

The soldier froze and then looked away.

However, a loud rumbling noise attracted their attention. A Titan, Aberrant in appearance, was running towards the gate. Skinless, its shiny red muscle exuded mass amounts of steam, sizzling the very ground it stood on. Although it was 15 meters in height, like all the other bumbling Titans, that was where the similarities ended. It had sharp red eyes and a mane of black hair, setting it apart from all the others.

Flames seemed to flicker underneath the muscles of its body and the air around the Titan wavered, heat expelling out of the being in excess amounts.

"Stop the Titan! Cannons, fire!" The commander of the Garrison sector directed with a wave of his hand.

A wave of black cannonballs flew into the air, all of them heading towards the different Titan. However, its mouth opened, and fire roared into the air, melting the cannonballs in the air. It seemed to smirk evilly as its stride was uninterrupted now.

The boat with the survivors had reached the edge of Wall Rose by now, but even from the distance, they could see the billowing smoke from the other side of the gate.

"W-What's happening?!" Antonio stood up, his eyes squinting towards the horizon, but Danika shook her head. She didn't know anything either. The low murmur of talking died down into silence as all the people watched. The large metal gate seemed to waver, and in mere seconds, it began to melt.

Everyone could only drop their jaws in shock.

Lots of steam surrounded the Titan's mouth as the last of the gate disappeared as a mass of melted liquid.

"N-No way...Two weird Titans?!" Antonio gasped out loud and Danika only stared at him wordlessly.

Wall Maria had been breached and the humans living in the area would soon be reduced to nothing. They would only have the inner regions of Wall Rose and Sina.

The blonde woman gently pulled the teen back to the seat. People were starting to stare at him, judging him.

"I'll definitely avenge you, Mom, Dad! I'll bring down those monsters and save humanity!" Antonio whispered to himself, anger filling his words as his fist clenched with his nails digging into the dirty skin of his palm.

He was heartbroken, but instead of waiting for death, he would do something about it this time. Danika had taught him in the few seconds of his rescue. Antonio would join the Training Camp, and then the Scouting Legion.

The teen was damn sure he'd be fighting with all of his might to bring down all of the Titans and restore peace to his wrecked homeland.


	5. TC Arc - 1 - Rite of Passage

**Training Camp Arc  
**

**Normal POV**

The beginning of the training for the trainees of the 104th Squad was starting. Melda Asker knew that some would give up on the first day because of her, but others would trudge through the training, only to quit later or be sent off to another job. Others... The others would die during the three years of training. She didn't have high hopes for the soft kids walking through the gates as she eyed them.

She knew she was strict-looking. She was tall and tanned, athletic in all aspects. However, what made her one of the scariest higher-ups was her abusive personality and her sharp, steel-grey eyes.

Melda didn't necessarily enjoy humiliating and scaring kids, but it was something she had to do to prepare them. They needed the exhaustive training so they could become warriors of mankind against the Titans.

That was the most important part.

As the kids lined up, she began to walk away from her post towards the group. Her chin tilted up and her eyes narrowed, making sure to glare at some kids with disdain as they had the audacity to meet gazes with her.

"Today is your first day of pain. You will be training to become soldiers of mankind. You will learn how to fight, the mechanics behind the 3D Maneuver Gear, horse riding, about the Titans, and how to survive!" Melda's voice was loud. Even the kids in the back flinched at her harsh tone. "I'm here to make sure you complete your training. But if you think I'm going to make it easy because I'm a girl, I will prove you wrong. So you'd better be ready for hard, whipping training because there won't be any cushions for pussy boys here! If you're not ready, pack your bags and run back to your moms!"

Melda grinned internally. The group of kids hadn't moved, but she already saw unease spreading among the ranks. She secretly felt bad for the first line of trainees as she began her stride towards them. Her gray eyes scanned the crowd, looking for her first victim of her famous "rite of passage."

She was sure she'd either scare the kids into fleeing, or end up making them hate her.

Either way, she didn't care.

Most of the trainees had nervous expressions on their faces, while others fought to look calm. The others that looked indifferent piqued her curiosity.

Melda walked past Antonio and sized him up without speaking. The dark, determined expression in his eyes and his perfect posture already told her what she needed to know. _"Looks like we have our first winner."_

Next to him, there seemed to be an empty spot, but when she looked down, she saw a young, small, blonde girl. Her large, green eyes, thought expressive at first glance, showed emptiness on the inside.

"Who the hell are you?!" Melda shouted, and lowered herself face-to-face with the newbie.

The girl visibly tensed up, quickly making the salute and answering, "Emelia Orr, ma'am! From Mitras!"

The Instructor straightened up and her features were already laced with annoyance. Brats. All of them. "All right, shitheads! I forgot to tell you about my three golden rules!"

Emelia shivered, dropping the salute and grabbing onto her other arm with a scared face.

"First, never call me 'ma'am!' The ones that dare to will be eating breadcrumbs for a week. I tolerate 'sir' and 'sir' only! Second, I don't want to see anyone joking around! Survival is not a joke, and anyone laughing will be punished." She breathed in, and as she did, a sadistic grin stretched across her lips. "Lastly, if you show desperation of any kind in front of me, I'll have you know that my boot will be hitting you hard in a place you don't want it to go and you'll be kicked right out. I'm not your babysitter and I won't be the one to dote on any of you!"

Leaning down again to face Emelia, she snarled, "You're pretty lucky I didn't warn you before. You'd be starving for the rest of the week, pretty girl."

Melda paused to stare contently at the trembling she felt from the blonde girl. "What are you doing so far away from your cushy little home, Princess?!" The instructor dared the girl to amuse her.

"I-I'm here to join the Scouting Legion, sir! T-To help humanity by killing as many Titans as I can!" Her scared expression seemed to harden slightly at the mention of Titans and Melda held back the grin threatening to break her stoic expression.

"Do you think the Scouting Legion needs a pest like you? You'd serve a good snack for 'em, that's for sure." Melda gripped the girl by her arm, not bothering to look at Emelia's hurt expression, and turned her around. "Enough, Princess. Face backwards!"

She continued her walking, pulling out random, weak-looking trainees and screaming at them. Some of them started to tear up, and one even ran out. But that was just better for humanity, because the training camp didn't need a bunch of pansies.

Passing Richard, her eyes barely glanced over him, but recognition flashed in her eyes. She knew this kid. Taking a step backwards, she looked at him sideways. "Do I know you from somewhere, punk?"

_"__Damn, how did she recognize me?"_ Richard thought, but answered her, "No, sir! Not personally, at least! I'm Richard Krieg, from Mitras, sir!"

The tall woman narrowed her eyes and sarcastically replied, "Oh, you're the Krieg boy! You'd better be as strong as your old man. Don't shame the family name!"

However, she paused to look at the girl beside Richard. This one was special, Melda knew. A full Asian girl was hard to come by these days, and judging from the narrowed eyes of Xin Tien, she knew it had been hard surviving in general. The impeccably straight posture and the haunted eyes, paired with the tightness of her clothing around her arms and legs meant that she was most definitely ready. She had seen things that others hadn't before. There was just no need for words.

Next to Xin, stood a girl with pale skin and reddish-pink hair. Her eyes were slightly unfocused. The unique hair color made the instructor remember the girl's name. Rosaline Nash. The grim line of her mouth only made Melda size her up silently. _"Seems like these two girls have it tough."_

Walking away from that section, her eyes lighted on a young-looking, tiny boy. "Hey! Who the hell are you?!"

"Samuel Windle, sir! From Trost!" The platinum blonde-haired boy answered as he saluted firmly. A part of his eyebrow twitched from the effort to keep a straight face.

"Samuel, hm? That's a shitty name. I'll call you Mule from now on, then! What are you doing here?!" Melda glared at him eye-to-eye.

"I'm here to join the Garrison, sir!" Samuel's face stopped the forced twitching and became serious.

Melda let out a grin and said, "A shitty purpose for a shitty person! It suits you fine, but I know of a better end for you: ending up in a Titan's belly!" The boy's mouth twitched but she shouted again, "Face backwards, Mule!"

A couple trainees after, she stopped in front of a boy with short and messy red hair. His expression was completely different from the nervous anxiousness permeating everyone's face. Joy and enthusiasm glinted in his eyes as he shifted from foot-to-foot, as if he couldn't wait to meet her.

_"__The hell?"_ Melda thought.

"I'm Cain Murrik, sir! I'm from Trost!" His voice was even happier than his face, and her eyebrows creased sharply.

In a fluid movement, she had him lifted off the ground with her left arm, almost nose-to-nose.

"I didn't ask for you to speak, trainee!" Her loud voice made him squint his eyes slightly. "What are you doing here, brat?!" She dropped Cain unceremoniously on the ground, making sure to have him fall on his tailbone.

To her surprise, the boy sprang back up with perfect posture, before answering, "I want to join the Scouting Legion, sir! I want to learn about the Titans!" His silver eyes almost glowed at his excited answer.

As if it wasn't silent before, the camp seemed to die in terms of sound. The instructor was silent as well, tilting her head in a way that made everyone uncomfortable.

To Cain's right, a young, tall boy with brown hair in a crew-cut watched the scene, thinking, _"His objective is similar to mine. I don't... really blame him for his curiosity."_

"Good luck with that, brat. Odd-case trainees, these days." She snorted and skipped Jeorge, the tall boy that was on the right side of Cain.

Jeorge looked at Cain, his kind orange eyes glimmering, and whispered, "Don't let it get to you. I'm also curious about the Titans. I'm Jeorge." At hearing this, the red-haired boy smiled.

However, before he could reply, Melda screamed, **"Silence!"** And to her pleasure, the camp was dead quiet once again.

Melda continued to examine every trainee. She noticed some had passed, some with grim expressions on their faces, making the woman wonder if they had suffered from the fall of Wall Maria, or they just had a cruel past.

Among those, she burned six faces into her mind. She had read their birth certificates because he had given them to her.

Cay Endresen, a fourteen year-old boy with a military hairstyle and light brown eyes. He was tall for his age, and muscular, something she didn't see very often. There was barely anything put in his past section. All she knew was that he was from Ragako, a small village inside Wall Rose.

The second was Elisa Peters, a fourteen year-old girl that lived in Shiganshina with her family. One of the survivors, her expression didn't show it, because if it weren't for the furrowed eyebrows, the smirk on her lips would've made Melda flip out on her.

Iosif Blanchett was the third exception. His build was similar to Cay's, but he had short, dirty blonde hair, with the most curious golden-colored eyes, and pale skin that was rare nowadays. It was registered that the blonde-haired boy lived with his aunt in a small farm, north-east of Shiganshina district, until the fall of the Wall Maria.

Emma Muller was next to Iosif, the height difference startling. She was very short, but her steel blue eyes reflected the same seriousness as Iosif. The file told her the girl was thirteen, one of the youngest to come by the training camp.

Melda recognized Asta much later. She had an unrecognizable face with short brown hair pulled into a ponytail and blue eyes. However, her complexion was very pale like Iosif's. Asta had lived with her adoptive family before the fall of Wall Maria, but her face didn't show love or abuse.

The last one Melda ignored was Kaspar Bauer, a fourteen year-old boy, with a muscular and lean appearance. Unremarkable, with short black hair and green eyes, but the way he held himself made her think otherwise. It was known that the boy once lived in a village inside Wall Rose. This area suffered a terrible accident and his family is presumed dead.

Melda was about to reach the end of the line of trainees, when she noticed a boy with an ambitious look burning in his eyes, but he didn't seem very ready. _"This'll be the last. The ones that scurried away for their mommies made me laugh."_ She thought with a sinister smirk.

"Your name and why you're here, soldier!" She roared, searching for something to exploit from the boy.

"Aksel Iversen from Ragako, sir! My older brother was in the Scouting Legion, but disappeared, so I decided to join the Legion to search for him!" His words were full of conviction, but Melda only narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at his chest.

"So the Fairy wants to join the brave and wonderful military branch, off to save humanity? You must be incredibly stupid, that's for sure! You'll be good as dead, so you'd better give up now!" Aksel started to shake, but his neck held his head firmly.

A light chuckle was heard from behind him and he resisted the urge to tear up. The nickname suited the boy perfectly, though. He was light-skinned and his hair and eyes made him look like he came out from a fairy tale...

Melda stepped back and searched for the culprit of the laughter. A small blonde-haired girl bit her lip to contain her urge to laugh outright.

The woman quickly made her way to the girl. "You think that was funny?! Rule 3, I absolutely hate fooling around! State your name, soldier!"

The girl tried to regain her posture and made a quick, sloppy salute with a crack of, "J.J., sir! I'm from a village in Wall Sina."

Emelia, at the sound of her nickname, looked directly at the girl. _"No way... W-What are you doing here, Jessica?"_ Unfortunately, she had said it out loud and Melda had really sharp hearing.

The brown-haired woman almost choked at J.J.'s response. She was really pissed off.

"You think that's funny?" Her loud voice had dwindled to a deadly soft purr. "I didn't ask you for your nickname..."

J.J. was clearly intimidated, even though Melda wasn't using a lot of her voice power. "I-I apologize, sir! But that's the name I go by!" She answered once more, hoping that it would be enough.

Everyone almost jaw-dropped after hearing the girl disrespect the instructor twice. They all believed the girl had a death wish.

"You like to fool around, hm?" Melda hissed. A cynic smile passed her face. She would finally be able to show off her famous punishment that made everyone, even her colleagues, cringe.

"J.J., was it? Do you know a good way to take that smile off that face of yours?" The woman raised her eyebrows once, disdain clear in her eyes. She didn't wait for an answer and it was clear the girl didn't want to answer her. "I want you to run around the training grounds for the rest of the day with no dinner!" Her voice escalated again and all the trainees winced.

Jessica's blue eyes reflected despair as she thought, "It's not like I wanted to be disrespectful..." But she answered, "Sir, yes, sir!" And began her laps.

Melda turned around and returned to the center to face the trainees. "All right, stupid brats. It's time for dinner and curfew is at 10. This will the only free time you'll have so use it wisely. Before starting camp, you'll have to go through tests to see if you have what it takes to be a soldier, so get ready!" she called out and kept a steady gaze on the fidgeting kids.

"For the ones who have changed their minds about joining the Military, see the assistant at the main barracks. He'll see to where your wimpy ass goes."

* * *

**Scouting Legion headquarters**

Danika made her way towards the office of the Second Lieutenant of the Scouting Legion. Her red, long-sleeved shirt peeked out underneath the normal outfit of the Recon Corps.

It was said that the Commander had a special assignment for her, now that she was a freelancer.

Knocking on the door, her foot tapped the ground as she waited for a response. Faintly, she heard a "Come in!" and opened the door to step in.

"Al—I-I mean, Lieutenant Al! Long time no see," Danika tripped over her words, but the man took it with an amused smile.

A spiky-haired, blonde man sat on a chair comfortably, his deep blue eyes glinting. He had a huge pile of files on the desk. By the small tag on his desk, his name was Albert Schmidt.

"Danika, it's good to see you. I've been rather busy with the new promotion the Commander gave me." His voice sounded bored and just a bit tired. "Well, enough of my whining. The Commander said he had an urgent assignment for you."

The blonde woman sat on a chair and mockingly replied, "Jeez, Albert, you're becoming just like the Commander. All work, no play...Ah, go ahead, I'm all ears."

Her comment made Albert chuckle. He said, "Sorry, Dani, but this is an urgent matter. Today was the first day of the 104th Trainees Squad." As he paused, Danika nodded her head. "The Commander wants you to assist Melda with supervising and evaluating them."

Danika's face changed when she heard him speak.

"What?" Her voice sounded breathless. "Here, I thought you needed me to wipe out some Titans inside Wall Maria, but you're just going to send me to a training camp to supervise new kids?!" she asked agitatedly. She was normally calm, but this was over the top ridiculous.

Albert raised his hands in midair and replied calmly, "I know you think it's a stupid mission, but with the amount of our losses, the Commander believes we need to scout some new members to join our cause."

He handed her a folder with some files in it and continued, "The Commander already made a personal evaluation on the trainees and he thinks that some of them can actually change the place we live in. Pay close attention to those people in the next three years, okay? We can't possibly succeed in the war with the pitiable amount of officers we have. 200 members and counting down, since our last attempt to take back the Wall."

His reasoning made her temper chill out. She knew he was right and she trusted the Commander wholly. She knew he would always pick the best choice. He was the master strategist, the best one so far, the one who had reduced the Scouting Legion's losses by 30 percent.

Nodding, Danika said, "All right. I guess I should hit the road then, got a long ways to go. See you around, Al. You better be safe 'till I get back. Send the Commander my regards!"

Albert laughed and joked back, "Don't get crazy when babysitting those kids."

With that, she left, her cloak floating in the air of her hurriedness. Danika mounted her horse and pressed the stirrups, causing the animal to gallop at an accelerating pace. She hoped that she'd be able to get to the camp on time for her- and their- first day...


	6. TC Arc - 2 - First Impressions

**The first week – Part 1**

**Normal POV**

A few hours had passed since the introduction of the new trainee squad. A large percentage of them already had lost hope and decided to leave the training camp after hearing Melda's terrifying speech.

However, most of the trainees were inside the dining hall. Many were already eating and their expressions spoke of their satisfaction at having a hot, nice meal. The accident from a few months back caused food shortages, decreasing the living conditions for a lot of villagers within the Outer Walls. A large amount of the trainees joined the military for the sole purpose of having food to eat, a safe bed to sleep in, and to escape the gruesome labor underneath the sizzling sun.

A small amount of the kids were completely unaware of their food, their minds fixed on their own goals and their future. They were still outside on the porch, sitting with a dreamy look in their eyes, or making small talk with one another. The remaining were the humiliated trainees, shaken up and close to tears.

Cain was seated outside the dining hall, when he spotted Jeorge coming in his direction with the rest of the trainees that were still outside exploring the training camp grounds.

He quickly stood up and walked in his direction with a hopefully friendly wave. "Hey Jeorge! I want to thank you for what you've said earlier, it really meant a lot having someone backing me up," Cain smiled and offered him a handshake, the outgoing look on his face telling the other boy he wanted to be friends.

Jeorge accepted it, firmly shaking his hand, and said, "No problem, Cain. Just don't let what the Instructor said affect you. It's only normal to want to know more about them, so you can count on me from now on. We're on the same boat, after all."

After those comforting words, Cain thought Jeorge somehow looked different from the rest. His eyes looked different, maybe a little older, a little more tired. He wasn't sure what it meant, but it didn't matter to him, because he had his first friend.

Antonio unconsciously heard their talk and stepped away respectfully, hoping the two didn't notice his presence. It would've been awkward and they would've made a scene. With his movement, out of his peripheral, he noticed Samuel, sitting on the ground with his elbows on his knees, a depressed look on his face.

The boy sighed. He had been in a similar position and he believed it wasn't bad to want to be a part of the Garrison. A faction needed members anyway, so he decided to help him out.

The red haired boy walked to Samuel and sat beside him, silent for a moment. Samuel glanced at Antonio, but didn't speak. Then, Antonio said, "I'm Antonio."

The small, blonde boy didn't reply and only hung his head further. "Look, I know it's none of my business, but I wanted to tell you that you shouldn't really care about what Melda said to you, 'cause I wanted to join the Garrison too..." Antonio stumbled on his words and trailed off, wiping the sadness out of his voice.

He had caught Samuel's attention and Antonio continued, "You need to be strong, if you want to be a part of the Garrison, but I think you can do it." A small smile made its way on the red-haired boy's face. "Just hang in there and brave the camp out."

At first, the blonde boy didn't respond, but he raised his head with the barest of smiles twitching on his lips. "...Thanks, Antonio. I needed that."

Antonio stood up and looked one last time at Samuel. His eyes hadn't changed at all, but at least he didn't look as kicked-puppy as he did before. The redheaded boy assumed he was the type to show a mask, instead of his true feelings.

Samuel continued to sit and mull over the day's events. He wanted to be as strong as everyone else, but he felt he lacked the willpower, and that made him feel so down, and useless. But Antonio had helped him out with those simple words, and the blonde boy wanted to repay him somehow. However, he was more curious about how the redhead was so strong in such harsh conditions. He didn't dare ask, though, because it looked like he had his fair share of pain.

Cain, though, wasn't as shy as Samuel.

Walking up to Antonio with Jeorge by his side, the boy couldn't contain his excitement. He knew both of them had seen the monsters in a distance that none of them had before. He really did respect both of them, but his impulsive, curious mind blurted out, "Hey Jeorge? Antonio? Can I ask you something?"

Both of the boys nodded and he continued, "So, since the Instructor passed both of you without speaking, you guys came from Shiganshina or something, right? Did you see the Rocky Titan? The Flame Titan, too?" Immediately afterwards, Cain realized his mistake.

The other trainees had perked up, their words dying on their lips as their eyes trained on the two males that stood awkwardly, with creased foreheads and darkened eyes.

* * *

**Richard's POV**

I heard what Cain had asked and I knew it wasn't going to end well. _"This isn't good. A delicate topic like that shouldn't be talked about on the first day..."_

In a rush, I began to nudge other people aside with a plan forming. _"Maybe I can distract all of them with food?"_

"Hey! Guys! Dinner's served and Melda said the people who're late won't get food for the next two days!" Everyone's attention, thankfully, was attracted, and they all started heading back to the mess hall. I breathed a sigh of relief and headed back with the crowd. I was actually pretty hungry now. I hadn't realized it before, but I hadn't had lunch today, so my stomach growled.

* * *

**Normal POV**

Inside the mess hall, all the trainees were eating, relaxing, and making small talk in their formed groups. By their animated talking and somewhat more positive expressions, they were excited for their first week. Richard could understand where they were coming from, as he was excited as well.

He was standing, with a tray of food in his hands, looking for an empty seat. His eyes searched for a familiar face, but he realized that the only person he really knew was Xin, who blended in with all the others with brown hair. Richard's palms got a little sweatier, as people began looking at him curiously, because he was standing awkwardly like the new kid at school with nowhere to sit. Luckily, he spotted her and her weird bangs and made his way towards her after noticing the open spot next to her.

As Richard made his way towards her, he noticed another guy trying to grab the seat.

_"Oh, hell no, dude! That's gonna be my seat!"_ He thought as he sped up, and as he passed, Richard shot a smug grin at him. The guy looked a little affronted, but turned away silently.

"Hey Xin," He grinned and took his seat.

She glanced over and her eyes softened from their previous serious look, but she didn't say anything. Her hand continued their motions of mechanically shoving food into her mouth. He began to do the same, and a comforting silence fell over the two.

But, when Richard glanced over, her hands were folded in her lap and her plate was empty, while his was still full. She had sat there to make him seem like he had a friend to be with, and he felt a small bit guilty at taking a part of her time.

"What'd you think of the Instructor? She was pretty scary, right?" Richard tried to initiate a conversation, and she tilted her head to the side, thinking.

Xin replied, "She was, but I don't think she means to be."

"What do you mean?" Richard asked, his eyes trained on her face. He never noticed the sharp, yet dreamy look in her eyes.

"I mean, she might be loud, but it's to help us succeed, right? So we can survive."

"Ah, yeah...I guess you're right, I'd rather have a strict instructor than a lax one," Richard agreed, then leaned closer, snickering, "But you know, if she was married, I think she'd be the one in the pants, right?"

He nudged Xin playfully, watching her expression. At his words, her eyebrows softened and her lips pressed together, stifling her bubbling laughter. A hand rose to cover her mouth as her eyes closed and her shoulders shook in silent laughter.

"T-This is true," she coughed out with a smile on her face that she didn't hide after her laughter subsided. Despite her normally serious expression, she found it easy to smile around Richard. He glowed with confidence and an easygoing personality.

But with their noise, Xin noticed Melda eyeing her with a particularly threatening look in her eyes and she knocked elbows with the laughing male and hissed, "Hey, if she hears us, we'll be dead for sure. And punished, like that J.J. girl."

Richard covered his mouth with the sleeve of his black shirt. "S-Sorry, I'll stop. But that was pretty funny, wasn't it?" His face had assumed his normal expression now, but even after his words, he still wanted to make her laugh and ease the situation a little more.

"It was. I'm glad you decided to sit here," she blinked and began shifting to stand up. "I'm a little tired, but I will see you tomorrow, then?"

The brown-haired boy's expression fell slightly, but he held out his fist. "Alright, see you, Xin."

With a small smile, she fist-bumped him and went on her way. Richard turned back to his food and realized most of it was gone, except for half a piece of bread, and that his hunger was sated, but before he could move, he noticed a pair of green eyes staring at him.

"R-Richy Boy? Is that you?"

_"That stupid nickname...?!"_ He quickly looked around and recognized the person that had called out. It was a small girl with long, blonde hair and green eyes.

"Wait, you're the girl with the face of an angel, but the personality of a devil...! Emelia? What are you doing here?" Surprise colored his words as he teased Emelia casually.

The twisted compliment Richard gave her caused the girl to blush slightly as she avoided eye contact by looking at her food. Richard made his way towards her and sat next to her, stretching out his legs in the opposite direction. "Well...I was expelled from home, because Father told me I wasn't needed and that I might as well die serving in the Scouts..." Sorrow and shame filled her voice and Richard ground his teeth.

"Damn that old fart, treating his own daughter like that just because he's family with the King," Richard snarled and his fists clenched at the treatment. He couldn't stand the fact that her father did that just to protect the family name. "Well, just forget about that scum. He doesn't deserve someone awesome like you, so don't do anything reckless, alright?"

He reached over and patted her shoulder in a way he hoped was comforting and she looked at him with wide eyes. He was always just a silly boy that was messing with her, so his advice was a completely surprise.

Her social skills were a little lacking, so she quickly averted her eyes back to her food, feeling the blush burn from her ears to her cheeks.

"T-Thanks," Emelia murmured shyly, grabbing her bread inconspicuously and hiding it. "I have something to do, so I'll talk to you later...I really appreciated that."

Richard noticed that she was hiding the bread while hurrying towards the doorway. Quickly rushing after her with his own bread, he called out, "Hey! Demon girl! Wait up!"

Grabbing the sleeve of her white, button-up collar shirt, he said, "Here, take this. She'll probably be starving from all that running." Richard handed her the piece of bread. Emelia, for a second, just stood there speechlessly, her green eyes blinking in surprise.

"H-how did you—"

Richard interrupted her with, "I'm not just a jokester, you know? Smarter than I look." He tapped his cheek, but feigned hurt. "Go and help her out."

With that, she continued on her path outside to help J.J., who was still doing her laps around the campus.

* * *

After finishing his dinner, Cain moved to the table where Antonio and Jeorge were seated. _"I have to apologize to them...I was way too blunt by bringing up that question..."_ He thought to himself.

"Ummm..." Antonio and Jeorge stared at him, waiting for him to speak. "Look, uh, I'm sorry for what I did earlier; it was stupid and I didn't mean to bring back bad memories or hurt you guys." He said, bowing respectfully and hoping that both of them would forgive him.

Both of them were silent, but exchanged glances at each other, before Jeorge decided to speak for both of them, "Hey Cain, don't worry, we're not mad at you. Just try not to touch that subject again in front of us since we'd rather not talk about it." Exhaling a sigh of relief, Cain sat with them and three boys kept talking animatedly.

However, a couple of other Shiganshina survivors weren't as lucky as them. The ones who still wanted to know more about what happened in the fall of Shiganshina grouped up, bombarding a brunette girl named Elisa with questions, since she was one of the few that were left out in the rite.

"Did you see the Titans?" "What do they look like?" "What about the Rocky Titan, I've heard he was like 60 meters tall!" Various trainees were shouting questions to the tanned girl as she just sat there with an angry look in her hazel eyes.

Adjusting her brown dress, Elisa quickly stood up, knocking a couple trainees back with her sudden movements, and shouted back at them, "Stop your stupid questions! You cowards are all so excited now, but I bet you wouldn't even been able to move if you saw a mere Titan." She punched the table in front of her rattling the wood. She looked pissed and definitely was pissed.

A few tables behind her, Rosaline, a girl that was probably one of the oldest in the Camp, at 16 years old, heard the distressed girl. She tossed back her dark pink hair, but her bangs returned to cover her left eye. Taller than most of the trainees, she easily carved her way through the crowd and made her way beside Elisa.

"Leave her alone, you guys." Her voice was loud, but not overly demanding. Her eyes were filled with concern for the younger girl, and surprisingly, the angry brunette allowed her to put a protective hand over her shoulders. Walking herself and Elisa outside the mess hall, she tossed back," You guys should just stop talking about that, or I'll make you shut up! I'll join the Scouting Legion and bring down those Titan bastards anyway."

As she turned away from the crowd, her free hand touched the black rose pendant hanging around her neck, remembering her dead sister. She kept pushing Elisa through the crowd, until they made it outside, without a look back.

A couple of the trainees still sitting were left to mull over their words.

Asta, a brown-haired girl with blue eyes murmured, "Interesting...I like her attitude; she reminds me of myself."

However, Cay, who was sitting in the farthest corner, only had contempt for all of them. He refused to fraternize with the stupid little trainees, so he was alone. A scornful laugh escaped through his lips. "Pff, what a goal. Watch as she gets squashed by a Titan on her first day out."

* * *

After a pretty intense first day, the trainees were woken up with the sounds of bells ringing at six a.m.

Melda was already waiting for them in the mess hall to give them orders. "Alright listen up, you lazy cockroaches! Today, you'll have your first lecture about Titans. After a few classes, you'll be doing a small exam to separate the big wimps from the wimps! Those who have less than half the score will be sent back to field work!"

Almost every trainee sighed in despair. The last thing that they wanted to do was listening about Titans and the techniques behind mastering the 3DMG.

Hearing so much whining made a vein pop out of Melda's neck. She hissed loudly to silence the trainees. "Stop crying, useless brats! You'd better be on your best, because we're having a high-ranking officer from the Scouting Legion here with us to help whip your weak asses into becoming real soldiers! Be ready in thirty minutes! Dismissed!"

* * *

**Richard's POV**

The second day as a trainee, and I'm already spending my time sitting around, listening to some boring lecture about Titans... "Damn, this is so boring. I want to get out here..." I muttered to myself quietly.

I couldn't stop sighing in annoyance. I looked around and saw most of the trainees fixated on the Instructor's words. _"It's probably their first time hearing this information."_ I thought to myself.

On my right sat a boy I recognized from the last night. He was one of the Shiganshina boys with all the crazy trainees bombarding him and the other with questions about the fall of the Wall. If I remembered correctly, his name was Antonio.

Then, I looked back, trying to find Xin. She was sitting a few rows behind me, her eyes focused not on the teacher, but on her paper. She was obviously preoccupied and I felt my heart drop a little. There was no way I could reach her, or talk to her, in any form, without getting caught. I looked back to the front, quickly, but turned again. This time, she caught my eye and panicking slightly, I sent her a quick thumbs up and a smile.

Xin blinked, and like last time, her expression softened and she raised her hand slightly in a small wave.

_"Okay, Richard, enough...You don't want to get both of you guys in trouble with the Instructor..."_ I thought, and faced forwards, resisting my urge to turn back to look at Xin.

A few minutes later, my boredom hit me again. Blank sheets of paper were in front of us, so I thought I could have a little fun and hopefully, Melda wouldn't notice. Grabbing one, I started to fold, remembering what my mother had taught me a long time ago. Turns out the first origami she taught me to make was a dinosaur. Origami was something I was pretty good at, I thought. I entertained her with the little figures I made out of paper, because there was nothing else to make toys out of. Just thinking about her made me bite my lip slightly. _"I miss her so much...I hope she's okay"_, I thought, touching the tiny, red bandanna she gave me.

From the corner of my eyes, I noticed two pairs of eyes looking at me. One was the guy named Antonio and by his death glare, he was not happy I was making origami. "

_"He's probably mad 'cause he wants to pay attention, but origami is obviously a lot better..."_ I ended up ignoring him and continuing on.

But the other eyes were from a blonde-haired girl to my right. She was looking not really at me, but at the origami dinosaur with a grin on her face. When I faced her slightly, I remembered her face. She was the J.J. girl, the one that was forced to do laps for disrespecting the Instructor.

In her hands, she had already folded something else, not a dinosaur, and I was definitely curious. Leaning over slightly, I realized she had folded a cat. The boring lecture faded into the background and when she held it up, she made an almost inaudible meow to go with it.

I covered my mouth to avoid laughing out loud. The expression on her face, paired with the poorly imitated meow was priceless. Turning, I grabbed my origami and showed it to her, wondering whether or not I should imitate her. But I decided to do it anyway and twisted my face while roaring softly.

She scrunched her eyebrows together and almost curled into a ball from laughter. Her cheeks were pink and I could tell she was struggling to keep it all in. I felt a tap on my right shoulder, so when I turned, I saw Antonio, a lot closer than before. He didn't look very pleased at all.

"Could you stop fooling around? I'm actually trying to learn something here," he hissed rather angrily.

Although I was a bit miffed with being called out, he was right.

"Sorry," I tilted my head down in acknowledgement. "You're right. I'll be quiet now."

He only nodded with a more satisfied expression that made me want to punch him in the face a little. Just a little. _"What an uptight guy...Well, he's probably been through hell and here I am, fooling around. He probably hates me for being cooped up in Wall Sina, living a cushy life..."_

However, I was jerked out of my thoughts when I heard a loud shout from the Instructor. She had stopped her lecture and was standing in front of J.J., her hands on her hips with the entire class staring at her.

_"Damn!"_ Guilt gnawed at me as I realized I indirectly got J.J. in trouble. _"She's gonna get punished 'cause of me..."_

"Oh, it's you again! I see you like running, and you also don't like eating!" The tall woman roared at the blonde girl who just sat there, her head down. By her tightly pressed lips, she didn't dare answer back.

A smirk appeared on Melda's lips. "It looks like there won't be dinner for you today either, and you'll be running—" Before she could finish her sentence, I had decided. I stood up, making the salute, and said without any hesitation,

"Sir! It was my fault...I'm the one to blame, so please punish me instead!" I hoped the look on my face was firm. I could feel the burning gazes of everyone's eyes on me. I felt a small bit of regret over my decision.

J.J. was looking at me, both surprised and grateful. I wasn't really sure what she was thinking, but maybe she appreciated my gesture. She'd better have, because I'm going to have to run a marathon at this rate.

Melda stalked towards me, her smirk widening into a vicious grin. She stopped in front of me, leaning closer so that I could almost bump noses with her and snarled, "You're the one to blame here, Krieg boy?"

It was obviously a rhetorical question, because she continued, "I see you find my lessons boring." She was staring straight at the origami dinosaur, and in my peripheral, I saw Antonio smirking. My blood boiled.

"Maybe I'll have you burn some of that extra energy of yours with some extra laps on top of the punishment of **NOT PAYING ATTENTION!** I think you'll make it without food as well!" She roared and turned on her heel, walking back to the center of the classroom.

I could hear snide comments and general murmuring from the event, which only made my mood sour further. I didn't dare raise my head to look at Antonio and the others, let alone J.J., or even Xin. The terrible feeling in my gut was definitely shame; it was probably the first few times I had ever felt this badly.

_"At least I saved her from another harsh punishment, right?"_ I tried to cheer myself up, but I was still silent, until the end of class.

A long day was waiting for me...


	7. TC Arc - 3 - Acceptance

**The first week – Part 2**

**Antonio's POV**

The lecture was almost over and I had found it interesting. After that clown got scolded, I couldn't help but feel satisfied; the only thing that guy was doing was interrupting her lesson and he deserved it. But it was a little admirable how he took the shot instead of the other girl.

He had stopped folding those silly paper animals and was now listening to Melda.

"Alright, that's all for today," the female instructor finished her lecture and almost immediately, people were scraping chairs as they got up and chattering with each other.

Melda roared one more time, "Silence, maggots! I want you to gather in front of the mess hall, introduce you to our new assistant for the rest of the training camp. Dismissed!"

She never really announced when there would be an assistant, so I was curious about why she decided to do it now...

I got up and started to walk towards the doorway, while Richard was in front of me, but before he could make it out, she rushed towards him and grabbed him by the ear.

"Where do you think you're going, Krieg?! You'd better start running now! And you're only allowed to stop once its nightfall!" I watched their exchange with a little bit of contempt. He sighed with a look of either shame or guilt, I couldn't put my finger on it.

_"Well, serves him right. If he keeps fooling around and actually makes it through the training camp, his attitude could get someone killed."_ I thought to myself as the brown-haired boy started his punishment. _"He helped me and Jeorge before, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a little slacker."_

I rolled my eyes and made a noise of scorn.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him shoot me a glare.

* * *

Obeying Melda's command, I headed right to the front of the mess hall and joined the formation.

As I stood there waiting for her and the new assistant to arrive, I began to get impatient. My foot began to tap the floor in annoyance. _"Damn, why's there so much suspense about this?"_ I asked, but I obviously knew there would be no answer.

From my view, I finally saw Melda walking out with a woman beside her. With hay-colored hair and a serious expression, I recognized the athletic person beside the instructor.

I blinked in disbelief. _"Wait a second isn't that Dani!?"_ I thought.

Melda cleared her throat and shouted, "Listen up, cockroaches! Here with me, we have Danika Horton, one of the best soldiers we have and she'll be with us until your tiny asses graduate."

Hearing this all the trainees began to whisper between each other, rumors already spreading. _"Well their reaction is normal, after all she's probably the best soldier I have met... Wait a second why is she here-" _Before I could finish my thoughts, Danika started talking, presenting herself to the trainees.

"Hey, 104th squad! It's an honor to be here and I'll do my best to make you all good soldiers. But don't think I'll make it easy for you. Just like Melda, I don't like fooling around!" She made a small pause to breathe out and continued, "Well this is for now, go on and enjoy your break before the next lesson."

I let most of the people walk back to the mess hall before deciding to go and talk to Danika. I wanted to know what she was doing here. In fact, I had thousands of questions for her, since I haven't seen her for a month or so.

I rushed towards her and, without thinking, I shouted louder and more enthusiastically than I wanted it to be: "Dani! It's been so long. What'cha doin'-"

When she heard her name, her face snapped towards me and her expression became stone cold. But then, she began to look around with a desperate look on her face.

She quickly put her hand over my mouth to silence me. "Shhh! Don't act so familiar in front of other people! Before you ask, I'm here on a special mission from the the Commander."

Hearing this, I almost panicked. I didn't know how to react, so I tried to cover it up. I quickly straightened up, made the salute, and trying to sound as detached and natural as possible, I said, "I'm sorry, ma'am!"

Her face expression changed again and she started to bite her lower lip and her eyebrows started to narrow. Unfortunately for me, I recognized that I screwed up big time and that she was mad. No matter what, narrowed eyebrows are not good signs...

She looked me right in the eye with a cold expression and said, "What did you just call me, trainee Antonio?" Before I could answer, she continued, "Do I look like an old hag to you?"

Her voice was so cold that I didn't know how to react, again. Panic welled up inside of me and I couldn't help but begin to ramble, "I-I didn't mean to offend you, Danika, I'm sorry! Really, really sorry, I didn't mean to at all, I mean, I didn't know you didn't like, I-I didn't mean to call you a hag...?" The words poured out of my mouth and I was so focused with that that I didn't notice Danika trying to hide a small smile.

"Hmm... I know a good way to get you to learn some manners, trainee. Join Richard in his laps," she ordered, trying to act as authoritarian as she could. I could see the corner of her lips twitching though, as if she was joking. However, when I paused to see if she would take back her order, she stared at me with raising eyebrows.

I sighed in defeat, realizing that there wouldn't be any way to worm out of the laps. "Yes, Danika!" I replied firmly, and began to run around the training camp grounds.

* * *

A few laps later, I caught up with Richard. He was probably well ahead of me in terms of laps, but he was tired. His face was blotchy with sweat and his hair was slick against his head. His shirt was clearly stuck to parts of his body, but I felt mine also soaking with my own sweat. I was actually surprised that he was doing his laps. I took him as a guy that wasn't serious about anything. _"Looks like he can also be serious. I thought he'd be the kind of guy to hide or fool around..."_

I ran beside him unconsciously and when he noticed me, his serious expression changed into a stupid grin that made my blood boil. _"Okay, forget what I just said. He's an idiot!"_

He looked at me and opened his mouth to speak. "Um...I thought," pants broke up his sentence, but I understood, so I didn't tease him about it. "Why're you...here? You were really...serious, and now...Look at you, running beside the clown...ha ha..." I didn't even notice his sarcastic tone.

I sighed and answered him without thinking, "I called the new assistant ma'am, and she got really mad at me and asked me if she looked like an old hag." My hand rose unconsciously and passed through my red hair. It was really wet, but with the heat and consistent wind blowing, it actually felt pretty nice.

Richard took a double take and stumbled, with his cheeks puffing up.

"R-Really?!" He asked me, his voice sounding pinched, as if he was holding his urge to laugh. I nodded with a troubled frown, but all he did was explode with laughter.

"Dude, how can you be so clueless?! You totally made her feel old! You can't say that to a girl, c'mon," He was laughing so hard that he started crying and wiped the tears away.

I kept running in silence, his words sinking in. Yeah, Richard was stupid most of the time, but he was probably right. She was like an older sister, or something like that, to me, and I probably just offended her. If he kept making fun of me, I wouldn't have snapped at him; I was surprisingly down about this...

The rest of the running was mostly silent. I saw him throwing glances around in-between pants. At one point, there was a girl with brown hair that watched us run for a couple of laps. As we passed, Richard raised a hand and his face broke out into a grin.

She didn't say anything, but she waved with the slightest of smiles on her lips, before walking away. It wasn't as if she could do anything, so something as simple as that was smart.

When the sky darkened considerably and the stars started to shine, our faces broke out in satisfied smiles. Both of us had passed the point of exhaustion so much that our legs had been mechanically moving without our consent. Everything burned: my legs, my arms, and my face. My lungs were on fire. We fell to the ground, exhaling strongly.

Richard was facing the ground, but I heard him snickering. As he turned his head, he cracked, "Look at you, you're not only as boring as an old woman, you also run like one!"

I was so done with his teasing, but I was tired, so the only thing I could bite back was, "Pfft, look at you, can't even stand up!"

"That's my line, you're barely alive," A grin broke out on his face.

"Don't be stupid. You'll be the one dying without food tonight. Better stay there on the ground to rot away like a piece of meat," I said.

He laughed and replied, "Don't be ridiculous! I'm totally fine, can't you see me stargazing?" The most serious expression spread on his face, although most of his body was facing the ground. The idiot actually made me want to laugh, but I wasn't ready to admit to that. I was about to answer him when someone cut into our discussion.

"Am I interrupting your pleasant chat?" Melda and Danika were standing over us, weird looks on their faces. _"Darn, they probably saw us talking and running slowly..."_ I didn't want to get punished again!

Richard only looked up and answered, "No, sir! I was just accompanying Antonio, as he seemed a bit tired." His voice was completely formal and my mouth fell open. He lied with such a straight face and straight tone that it was almost mind-blowing. When I was plumb tired, I could barely speak.

However, the two women only exchanged looks. Danika said, "Get up. Take a shower and off to bed, you two."

We both gathered all our strength and got up. Both of us straightened out our clothes, my black shirt, and for him, his jacket, and dragging our exhausted bodies, we made our way to the dormitory.

Behind us, Melda and Danika lagged behind, discussing what they saw. She turned to Melda and said with a small smile, "Those two are pretty special, don't you think?"

The instructor only scoffed and replied, "I guess they have potential. Let's hope it doesn't get wasted."

* * *

**Normal POV**

On the third day of small tests, the trainees were supposed to show their skills in hand-to-hand combat situations.

Melda was already evaluating the kids, along with Danika's help.

Most of the kids were not really experienced in fighting. Since most of them had a peaceful life so far. The rest that had learned how to fight probably had done it with their parents or in classes. But the rare few had honed their skills so well through actual application that it showed ridiculously.

Two pairs stood out for their strength and agility, but they were lacking in skill: Aksel, Samuel, Jeorge, and Cain.

Cay stood out solely for the strong punches that felt like his opponent was being rammed with a wood log. His arms were ridiculously muscular, the veins in his hands bulging. Kaspar was also a good fighter, but he didn't have a sound strategy; it was clear he only relied on his agility and brute force. Iosif, despite his strong and well-built body, wasn't a good fighter. His height only made his moves messy, which made him have a lot of problems with hitting smaller, faster targets.

Some of the girls really stood out. J.J., of course, wasn't taking the training very seriously. However, she seemed competent enough to defend herself against Emelia. The blonde girl was a completely different person when fighting. Her naturally timid, blue eyes went dead and her sweet smile turned sadistic. It was clear she was enjoying herself, but her grin wasn't as wide as it should've been. J.J. was holding out rather well against the speedy striker.

Xin was paired with Asta, a rather entertaining pair to watch. Both girls were equally matched in terms of skill, but they were masters of their own types of fighting style. It was almost like a dance. Asta was clearly more aggressive, as it was mostly her making the initiative. However, Xin was clearly adept at defense and exploiting weak spots and balance problems. Asta was repeatedly thrown off-guard and struck, but the girl recovered in an instant and hit back with equal force.

Rose and Elisa were also the ones that stood out. The dark pink-haired girl was notorious for her techniques, due to her high levels of strength and speed. Although Elisa was weaker than her, her inability to back down and reckless attitude made it a fight worth watching. No matter how many times the girl was struck down, she stood back up, her face coated in dust and grime, and bull-rushed her again.

However, two trainees were missing.

Melda looked around, her expression somewhat infuriated, eyebrows narrowed and her foot tapping the ground. "I can't believe those two! They're probably still asleep after that small punishment."

Danika grimaced internally and tried to calm the instructor down. She honestly didn't want Antonio to be punished again. "They're probably just late," she said. Right after she said that, she spied the two rushing towards the premises. She covered a laugh with a cough when she saw that one of their pants wasn't zipped up all the way yet. "See, there they are," she said, pointing the two kids. At least he got his pants zipped up correctly.

Their faces sagged with exhaustion.

As they drew up to the area, they looked around, trying to find a sparring partner, but they were the only ones left.

Antonio sighed in annoyance and muttered, "I can't believe I'm paired up with this idiot again." The six-hour run had made his seriousness and maturity evaporate; his temper was about to explode.

On the other hand, Richard wasn't even paying attention. He was yawning, stretching his arms and trying to keep his eyes open. But when he watched the trainees sparring, J.J. and Xin caught his attention.

"W-Whoa! She's actually pretty good at fighting, considering her opponent!" Richard blinked in astonishment, watching the blonde girl defend herself against the small demon.

Xin's smooth fighting with Asta made his jaw drop open. It didn't even seem like a normal sparring match; it was more like a choreographed dance between two elegant fighters. "I-I'm actually friends with...with badasses...!" He closed his jaw with difficulty, and turned towards Antonio.

"But I'll have to put up with this granny..."

The red-haired boy's eyebrows narrowed at his words, but he didn't speak, until he shouted, "C'mon, lazy ass! Let's start!"

Richard just crossed his arms behind his head and yawned again. "Nah, man. Do it yourself, I'm pretty tired, you know?" He began to turn around to sit under a tree near them. "It's not like I need to train in hand-to-hand. It'd be a waste of my time, so I should just rest up...-"

Before he could finish, he heard footsteps and felt the air of an oncoming attack. Spinning around he blocked the palm hit that was coming for his back. For a moment, Antonio's eyes widened, but he jumped back with an angrier expression.

"You should let people finish talking. How rude. You should accept people and their faults. Also, loosen up or you're gonna have that pinched look on your face forever."

Antonio's patience snapped.

His fists clenched tightly and he ground his teeth. "You're just a spoiled, lazy brat, living inside Wall Sina. I bet you did nothing but fool around your entire life in your cushy, little home," Antonio spat out. His words were absolutely venomous as he lunged towards Richard again.

Although his hits were strong, they were messy from rage and the brown-haired boy bypassed most of them with no problem. _"He knows nothing about me. Probably mad 'cause he hates careless people."_ With his thoughts, Richard's lips turned up into a sarcastic grin.

That face pissed Antonio off even more. "Keep that attitude of yours and you'll get all of us killed!" He shouted. Careless behavior spawned mistakes, and mistakes meant dying comrades. That was the worst, and Richard wasn't even affected by his yelling.

But the red-haired boy knew whom to target after yesterday.

Pinpointing the girl with the strange bangs that he saw last night, Antonio pointed at Xin, who was now taking a break. Even her normally calm and serious face was twisted with exhaustion and sweat shone at her brow. His voice had died down into a low hiss as he spat, "Let's see if you find it funny when your friends die in your arms 'cause of you...Or how about your family when the Titans get past all the walls?!"

The smile was gone from Richard's face. Caught off-guard, his eyes were almost blank as his face was wiped into a cold, unfeeling expression, imaging situations of helplessness. His little sister, screaming, as a Titan plucked her from the house, and him, unable to stop the large beast, as teeth would swallow up her face. Xin, her legs missing and her lips stained with blood, in a fist of a Titan, screaming for help, for anyone to help, but he would be unable to save her.

With the chance, Antonio grinned in satisfaction. He finally landed a solid hit against Richard, throwing him back a couple of feet. The brown-haired boy dug his feet into the ground. His eyebrows were narrowed, his eyes fiery instead of blank. That hit made him cringe, but he was stronger than that.

Richard stepped forwards, but as Antonio made his moves to engage him, the brown-haired boy sidestepped, twisting to the side to throw a fast and powerful kick aimed at Antonio's head. Taekwondo really did help him after all.

It only clipped the side of the red-haired boy's head, but Richard recovered faster than him and aimed a palm-strike into Antonio's side. Letting out a cough, the boy took several steps backwards to avoid Richard's next hit.

Both of them were panting slightly.

Antonio scoffed, but he was surprised that the rich boy could actually fight decently. Adrenaline pumped in his veins. He wanted to see what Richard could really do.

Rushing towards him, Antonio anticipated the sidestep this time and grabbed the leg that was rising up, twisting his body to shift Richard's balance and throw him on the ground. However, the other boy had grabbed his shoulder and pulled him in, their entire central control thrown off.

Both of them slammed onto the hard ground and they both let out a grunt of pain.

"S-Shit," Richard muttered, untangling himself out of the mess.

By now, the resting trainees had stopped to watch the boys fight. Xin's head was tilted to the side with a mildly surprised look.

"He's actually quite good," she blinked rapidly and some part within her hoped that he would win the redhead.

Others were commenting on how strong Antonio's punches were. Danika, who was worried that the red-haired boy would be hurt, decided not to interfere. The two instructors were surprised by the two young boys and decided to let things roll their own path. And like everyone else, they were also curious as to how strong they would be.

Both boys traded kicks and punches, Richard with the kicks and Antonio throwing the punches, but judging by the sweat and their panting, they were both running low on energy.

At the last moment, Richard's leg smacked into Antonio's body as the red-haired boy's fist hooked him in the torso.

They fell back from the impact, spread-eagled on their backs.

As they struggled to their feet, they looked at each other and their angry expressions morphed into grins that showed more than rivalry. They had acknowledged each other at last.

"Not bad for lazy scum," Antonio panted.

Richard shot him a cocky smile and huffed, "Yeah... You weren't that bad for an old grumpy."

With that, both of them collapsed on the ground.

Snapping out of it, Melda quickly clapped her hands and shouted, "Alright, all of you lazy peasants! I don't want any screwing 'round, so you better keep practicing!"

J.J. let out a whine of discontent as Emelia sprang up with a devilish gleam in her eye.

The tall woman walked to the collapsed boys and shouted, "You two again!? You do love each other, don't you? Well, let's make a deal... I'll let you rest for an hour and you'll do some more laps for two hours, what'cha think?" She asked, or more like affirmed, grabbing both of the boys by their collar.

Richard forced a smile and answered, "Sir, it does sound amazing sir! Thank you so much!"

Hearing his sarcastic retort, Melda frowned angrily and slapped his head. "If it does sound that good, then get to it!" She shouted letting both of them fall on the ground. The boys stood up shakily and headed to the dormitory with pained expressions.

* * *

A few hours later, the two boys were once again fulfilling their punishment: two days in a row, running around the training camp grounds for more than an hour.

"I can't believe I got stuck running around with this jackass again," Antonio muttered to himself, while sighing in boredom. _"Well, I do have to apologize for talking shit about his friends and his family. I went a bit too far and I just exploded..."_ He felt guilt rise up bitterly in his throat and glanced periodically at the brown-haired male beside him. He wasn't sure how to approach it at all, apologizing to the clownish boy.

"Hmm? Did you say something, grumpy?" The brown-haired asked in a teasing way, trying to make fun of the boy.

Antonio decided to ignore his comment and said without making eye contact, "Sorry."

Without an explanation, Richard already understood what he meant.

He shook his hand like it was nothing big and said, "Don't sweat it. You were pretty right when you said that. I'm pretty childish, I guess, but the last thing I want is letting people I love die." A serious expression overcame his normal features, a fraction of the seriousness Antonio had seen earlier that day. Suddenly he changed and a silly grin spread over his face, as if trying to cover himself up.

"Well, I'm surprised you could tell I was friends with Xin," Richard joked around.

"Who wouldn't have noticed? Yesterday, she waved at you and you grinned at her with that idiotic grin of yours!" Antonio shot back and the other boy only let out a chuckle.

"An idiot wouldn't have noticed, which is why I was surprised!"

"Tch..."

An almost comfortable silence crossed over them. Richard wasn't really willing to break it, but he decided to open himself up a little. "Just so we're clear, I do have goals, alright?"

"Oh?" Antonio made a snarky noise that prompted the brown-haired boy to continue.

"I made a promise with my little sister. Someday, I'll free humanity and I'll show her the outside world," Richard's eyes took on a dreamy look and his other arm rose to gently touch the red bandanna around his arm.

Antonio was quiet for a few moments, until he spoke up, "I guess we're similar with our goals then. I want to free humanity and... Avenge my parents..." He felt his eyes burn, from sadness or anger, he didn't know. The emotion within him was so clear though.

Both of them didn't know how to continue and the silence from earlier turned awkwardly tense.

Until Richard suddenly held out his fist as they loped around the buildings and shouted, "Hey, I'll help your grumpy ass, so don't you worry!"

From within Antonio, a genuine laugh bubbled up and he fist-bumped him back, replying, "Hah, sure. And I'll make sure your lazy ass doesn't get eaten by a Titan when we go out."

Both of them wouldn't admit it, not to anyone in the world and especially to themselves, but they began to share a mutual respect for each other. And sure as hell, they wouldn't call each other friends at all.

Even if they acted like it.


	8. TC Arc - 4 - Final tests and the Puppy

**The first week – Part 3**

**Normal POV**

The first week of the brutal testing for the 104th Trainee Squad was almost at its end. Today would be their last day before their real training started.

Many kids had already left the Training Camp due to the excessive amount of physical effort, or because of their lack of competence. However, more would drop, because of the last evaluation: 3DMG balance.

The instructors would all watch as straps using a mechanical device provided by the science headquarters lifted trainees. Whether or not they could balance would give Melda all the information she needed to evaluate their aptitude for future 3DMG use.

Everyone was standing in front of three large, metallic objects, waiting for the Instructor's orders. A quiet murmur was going through the crowd of students, all of it referring to the last evaluation. Some were nervous, others were excited, and the loners were silent.

Melda clapped her hands firmly, attracting everyone's attention, and shouted, "Maggots! I want you to divide into three groups and line up in front of each one of these objects. Now!" In fear of being punished, they all rushed to one contraption and quickly lined up.

"Alright, I want you to help the first trainee of each line get strapped in with those ropes. Make sure they're tight, or I'll whip all of you! When we lift your tiny, little asses, you'd better be able to maintain balance! The ones that can't do this will be bait for Titans!"

Although both Instructors loathed this evaluation, it was the easiest way for the two to spot the talented ones and separate them from the ones that couldn't become anyone useful to the defense of the Walls.

The ones that stood out from the rest in Melda's attention were Richard and J.J. They were both enjoying themselves too much during this training, it seemed, and Melda murmured angrily, "Damn those two clowns. Always fooling around." Hearing this, Danika tried to ease the situation.

"At least they're okay at it, right?" She stifled her laughter, watching as the brown-haired boy wagged back and forth, as if on a swing, while the shorthaired blonde was screaming in joy as she made a few jumps in the air.

Melda face-palmed, but eventually ignored them, continuing to assess the rest. A few of the trainees already had the balance all sorted out. Her eyes brightened slightly as she scribbled something on her board as her angry expression changed into one of satisfaction.

Antonio, Xin, Cay, Jeorge, Cain, Rosaline, and Samuel were among those. Antonio had wobbled at first, but in the end, he managed to swing around with his eyes bright. Xin was so still that she balanced perfectly, but when told to move, it was clear she was slightly afraid of heights, while Cay struggled in the beginning, but managed to not fall down. Cain, Rosaline, and Samuel were all seemingly comfortable with the whole aspect of balancing on ropes. Others were alright, keeping balance for a little over a few seconds, but there were others that fell on their heads, or were just hanging from one side.

Those would be the ones to be kicked out.

Before reaching the last group, Melda noticed a small girl with wavy, blonde hair that also was completely at ease with the 3DMG.

Turning to Danika, she said, "Who's she? I've never noticed her until now..."

Danika checked up the files in her hands and said, "Alina Adler. From Shiganshina. I've noticed she normally hangs around the boys and likes climbing trees, so maybe that's why she's pretty good at it."

Hearing this, Melda let out a chuckle and then shouted to Alina, "Good technique, trainee! I'll call you Monkey Girl from now on!" Alina's emerald eyes blinked in surprise after hearing the weird compliment, but then a proud smile broke on the girl's face and she nodded, thanking her for the praise.

At the end, the harsh instructor was seemingly pleased with her own efforts. They were the most apt out of all the trainees she had advised throughout her career. _"Hmm, not bad for a bunch of lazy kids."_ Melda thought to herself while concluding her last analysis.

She was tough, but she was proud to be able to train skilled kids into becoming strong soldiers.

* * *

Physical exercises went by quickly.

The trainees finally were past the last physical test of the week. Now, the only thing they needed to worry about was the result of the written test they had took earlier.

Since they had been attending lectures all week, the camp teachers assured that they would be testing intelligence as well. If they expected to be good soldiers, they needed to not be stupid and know at least the basics of the curriculum.

Danika took lead now, as she shouted, "Listen up! We've concluded the basic 3DMG tests. The ones who got accepted, please meet us at the classroom after the lunch break!"

Some of the trainees froze at their spots. Worried expressions spread on almost every trainee's face.

It would be the last approval they needed in order to continue their goal to graduate.

* * *

**Elisa's POV**

The lunch break went by so quickly I didn't even notice it. To say the least, I was very anxious. I just wanted to get a decent score to pass this week's test.

_"I won't fail now...I'm not weak! I want to kick some Titan ass, dammit!"_ I thought, trying to convince myself that everything would be okay. I absolutely needed to continue my training, so that I would be able to avenge my fallen town.

I stood up, straightening my coat, and began to walk towards the classroom. When I arrived, there were many trainees making a line, waiting to enter. Most of them were talking about how the test went and what scores they thought they would get. After hearing the rumors, my palms started sweating again. I could feel my legs starting to shiver, so I fidgeted from side-to-side, hoping they would stop shaking.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my left shoulder. It was Rosaline, the girl I met the first night. I really liked her; she was nice and she stood up for me in the beginning. Plenty of times, she's pulled me back from getting in trouble, so I was really thankful. She looked at me and gave me a kind smile, the one she always gave me.

"Calm down, Elisa. You'll pass for sure, so no need to worry," she whispered, and I felt myself calming down a little.

I replied playfully, "Yeah, you're right. Maybe I'll do better than you this time!"

With a pat, she said, "That's the Elisa I know!"

But after that, she withdrew back into her position in line and silence reigned over us again. I wouldn't call us friends, outside the normal context. We were really close, but not in the traditional sense of friends. We enjoyed each other's company, but we only communicated when it was key, normally through short phrases. Sometimes, we would meet each other's eyes and just look at each other. No words were really needed to convey our feelings. Although she was rather protective, it felt good to have someone beside me.

_"It's not like I'm weak. I just like having someone to depend on when I need it..."_ I thought as my line marched into the classroom.

Well, this was it. Everyone was already seated and the entire atmosphere was tense.

Melda shouted, "Cockroaches, listen up! I'm gonna call you in descending order. For those who don't know the normal grading system, the highest grade is an A and the lowest is an F. The ones with F's will be sent back!"

Instinctively, my foot began to tap. Anxiety flooded my brain again, but from beside me, I noticed Rose. I felt a hand creep over to mine and envelop me in a tight, but reassuring grip.

As long as I had her, I think I would be all right.

* * *

**Normal POV**

The chitchat was getting to Melda. With an angry expression, she whistled and yelled, "Enough babbling, ladies! I'll be calling the smartest of you runts first."

Shuffling a couple of papers, she continued, "Krieg, Tien, and Nash, come forward!"

Gossip broke out over everyone as the three names were called. When the trainees noticed that Richard was first to be called, some of their jaws dropped to the ground.

Antonio looked at the spiky-haired boy and thought, _"Well, he's not just an ass then...A smart-ass..."_

Samuel, who was next to Richard, gave him a friendly smile, congratulating him for his good score. He had been friends with Richard through Antonio. Cain reacted instantly as well, flashing him a thumbs-up and a wide smile. _"He's so cool."_ Cain thought excitedly. _"He's not only funny, he's also smart!"_

Melda still looked mad though. In her hand, she began to curl one of the tests. Quickly approaching Richard, she gave him a smack with it on the head.

"Krieg, congratulations on the assessment. Seems like you have some brains in that empty skull of yours! Now, tell me, why didn't you answer one of the questions?"

Richard quickly saluted and stammered, "T-Thanks, sir! Um..I-I think I forgot to answer...that one?" The brown-haired boy said, or rather, asked himself, since he couldn't remember what he had done.

Almost everyone burst out laughing. A snicker escaped his mouth, but Xin, who was now next to him on their own separate table elbowed him, effectively killing his laughter. Richard straightened up with a serious look, eyeing the mad instructor.

She sighed in annoyance and only said, "I take that back, then. You still have nothing in that skull of yours, Krieg. Girls, great job."

Xin and Rose colored from the straight compliment. It had been the first they had received without any twists.

"To get this over with faster, I'll call the B's and the C's all at the same time. Jeorge, Antonio, Alberto, Jessica, Emelia, Elisa, and Iosif! Forward!" Melda roared and the trainees shuffled to the front, sighing in relief.

Alberto smiled, happy at being able to one day, join the Scouting Legion and protect others from horrible accidents. He was tanned, with dark-brown eyes and black hair in a military cut. Just like any other standard trainee.

Before handing out their tests, Melda spoke, "Keep up the good work, brats." Congratulations spread over the students as they milled together on their way back to the desks.

"Lastly, Asta, Samuel, Kaspar, Cain, Cay, and Aksel." They were the last trainees, with the exception of some. However, despite their almost failing grades, they could still continue their training.

Melda looked at them disgustedly, before spitting out, "You better show more work in the future, lazy brats! I won't accept any more shitty scores from now on."

All of them flinched. Even Cay. But they all saluted and nodded.

She then shooed them to their respective places, then said to the remaining students, "If your name wasn't called, you'll be dismissed. Head to the main building and wait for further orders."

Danika now stepped forwards and took the lead. "Listen up, guys! You'll be free for the rest of the day—" Before she could finish, the trainees began to sigh in relief and celebrate. She coughed to silent them and with a more serious expression, continued, "But! Before that, we'll divide you into groups that will be used during the training until your graduation. I'll announce the groups..."

The blonde looked at Melda and she nodded for the woman to continue. "Right now."

"First team: Elisa Peters, Asta, and Rosaline Nash!" Elisa and Rosaline excitedly grabbed each other, the first time they had ever made such happy faces. They exchanged high fives, while Asta just smirked, acknowledging the two girls as they headed outside.

"Second team: Xin Tien, Jessica, Antonio Rodrigues...and...Oh, Richard Krieg!"

Richard jumped up in celebration, a wide smile on his face. "Yeah! High-five, guys!" He turned to J.J., who, just as excited as he, gave him a solid high-five. Xin, unsure of what a high-five was, blinked before raising her hand awkwardly. Richard high-fived her and patted her on the head. Antonio straight out refused to partake in his silliness and scoffed.

"Too bad grumpy's on my team too. I'd totally like to be just on a team with just cool people!" He sighed, but then looped an arm over Antonio's shoulder. The redhead grimaced and attempted to push the other off, but to no avail.

Danika laughed, then pushed them all outside. "Discuss your marriage problems outside!" She teased, internally sighing at their antics.

"Third team: Jeorge Adalia, Cain Murrik, Emelia Orr, and Samuel Windle!" Cain almost jumped in joy and quickly ran to his teammates, enveloping them all in a forced group hug. Some of them were squished together and much to Emelia's embarrassment at being the only girl in her team. She was blushing like a tomato.

"Fourth team: Iosif Blanchett, Alberto Mejia, Alina Adler, and Kaspar Bauer!" All of them exchanged quick greetings and introductions, before falling silent.

* * *

Only four trainees were left, now. Danika looked at them and said, "You guys will be the last group: Emma Muller, Aksel Iversen, Cay Endresen, and Alice Blanc." As soon as that was announced, Cay left the classroom silently without trading a word with his new teammates. Alice, a small, black-haired girl, made her way to Emma and Aksel. A bright smile on her face, she greeted both of them with, "Hi! I'm Alice, I hope we'll be good friends."

Aksel and Emma both nodded and began chatting with each together.

Aksel leaned in and whispered, "That Cay guy sure is a moody one, right?" Both girls nodded sadly.

However, before they could continue, Melda approached them and shouted, "Enough whispering around, maggots! Get out of my sight before I make you do some running!"

The trainees went pale, thinking of her harsh punishments. They straightened up and apologized, before running out of the door like fleeing rabbits.

Now that the classroom was empty, Danika faced Melda. She spoke, concernedly, "I hope the Commander's idea works. Everyone should...be able to work well with their groups..."

Melda waved her hand unimportantly. "Relax. Everything will be fine. Chief planned this all beforehand, after all. And everyone knows that he's the best at planning."

Danika nodded. Until now, she had always trusted all the crazy decisions the Commander made. What made now so different?

* * *

**Military Police headquarters**

A tall man, with a grayish-colored hair and golden eyes was making his way through the main door of the Military Police headquarters. Slicked back and slightly spiky, his hair was unique from the rest of the higher-ranking military officers. He was wearing the normal military uniform, but without the brown coat. Instead, he wore a black trench coat, with the Scouting Legion emblem on the back.

He was also wearing an emerald medallion around his neck; it was the trademark of the military commanders.

He was the 13th Commander of the Survey Corps, going by the name Maxwell Steel.

Maxwell knew the building already, like the back of his hand. He was looking for the science laboratory. When he arrived at the door, he knocked gently three times, but received no answer.

The man sighed in annoyance and decided to enter anyway. Once inside, he found the person that he was looking for. Tia Ealdwine. The woman was so engrossed with her paperwork that didn't even noticed that she had a guest. Her nose was almost touching the paper, but a wide smile was on her face.

She was wearing her lab coat with a green scarf around her neck. The woman was slim and small and had a short, light brown hair.

Maxwell made a coughing sound to get the woman's attention and said, "Tia, long time no see."

At hearing the man's voice, she jerked backwards, almost falling off the stool, turning to greet him. "Oh, Chief Max, thank God you're finally here! I've some amazing information for you!" Her green eyes beamed with curiosity and joy, a side of her that only got excited around groundbreaking research.

"Well, if you hadn't left us, you could've saved us both a lot of time," Maxwell's sarcastic tone made the young woman sigh.

"C'mon, Chief, you know the reason I left the Legion. Lack of money and equipment...I wouldn't have been able to do my research at all!" His complaining made a small, familiar smile twitch on her lips. She covered her eyes with her bandaged hands, trying not to get mad at him.

"You know I'm trying to do my best. I did those two favors you asked of me, too," she deadpanned. "You're indebted to me."

Maxwell knew she was right. He sighed, defeated, and replied, "You're right. But I hope one day, you'll come back to us. You were invaluable in combat, you know."

Tia nodded in agreement to what the Commander said. It was not a lie that she preferred her times as a Survey Corps member, but her situation now was not bad either. It wasn't a lie that she didn't care a bit for the other members of her team, but she was on good terms with the new Military Police commander.

She decided to speak up before Maxwell started to complain, "About that experiment, I think it went just fine."

She pointed at a small paper box that was shaking slightly. Holes were cut crudely through it. "I think we'll be able to know if it's a success or a failure soon, but it depends on how well-prepared and well-cared it will be."

Maxwell walked to the box and opened it. Inside was a Siberian husky puppy with a full white fur. With its smaller size, it was probably still young. However, it was still bigger than a normal puppy.

When the Commander was about to close the box, the puppy almost jumped out. Maxwell was able to close the box in time and the dog instantly began to give a few weak howls, showing its discontent.

The commander let out a small smirk and said, "Smart one, isn't it?"

Tia nodded in agreement and added, "Had to chase it for an hour and lose precious research time. It was raising hell before. It's real energetic."

Hearing this made the man let out a small chuckle. Before he could say anything, Tia intervened, "So who's going to train him?"

Maxwell's face became serious, his golden eyes calculative. He quickly answered without hesitation, "We'll stick to the plan. We'll send it right away to Danika, and she will deliver it to our trainees' care."

Tia was not sure about this idea, but she did trust the commander's decisions. She rubbed her scarf contemplatively.

Seeing her reaction, Maxwell decided to change the subject. "What about Fabio? Is he gonna' make it?" He asked Tia with a rather concerned look.

Tia nodded with her head and said, "Despite the damage he took on that expedition, he survived through the surgery. He lost his legs, but all the internal organs seem to been working fine." She made a small pause, while she grabbed a few documents and handed them to Maxwell. "I hope he survives all this and that he doesn't regret his choice. It would be a great step for us if everything goes smoothly."

The tall man ran his hand through his hair with an expression that meant he was lost in thought. He approached Tia, looked her in her eyes and said quietly, "Yeah, you're right it'd be fantastic if everything went according to our plans." He made a small pause that let out an impression that was also a downside to this situation. "But, if we screw this up, our heads will be served on a silver plate. So that's why I need you to keep this secret for as long as you can and please keep me updated on any occurrence."

A worried expression came onto Tia's face. She knew how risky it was. Tia groaned and said, "Damn you, Chief, and my stupid curiosity. Hopefully, we don't get into any trouble."

A smirk appeared on Maxwell's face while he walked towards the exit. "It's too late now to get cold feet, Tia, dear. It's a game we need to take risks in."

He opened the door and, before exiting, added with a quick wave, "Don't forget to send the puppy."

* * *

**Antonio's POV**

I was walking back to the mess hall to get my dinner, since Danika asked for an important favor in her office. I sighed, slightly annoyed with my current situation. _"All this fussing and guessing, what'd she ask me to do? To babysit this little, white fur ball."_

I looked down and saw that the white husky was still trying to keep up with me. I had to admit, it was kind of cute with its messed-up gait, almost tripping over its own feet.

I sighed in defeat and decided to carry him on my arms. Bending down, I scooped it up and held it close to my chest. Surprisingly, it didn't offer any resistance. Instead, it looked like it was enjoying the attention and adjusted itself in my arms with a content pant.

But damn, was the thing heavy. It was big for a puppy, for sure.

Once I arrived the mess hall and picked my seat, I started to receive odd looks. Everyone started whispering, commenting what they saw. No one had ever expected a puppy at the table, whimpering for a bite of my food.

I just tried to ignore them and kept doing my thing, until I saw Richard making his way to my table with a plate in his hands. Next to him, J.J. was walking with a bright smile, chattering away like usual. Xin hung behind them with a more leisurely pace. I still needed to introduce myself to her.

But discomfort roiled in my stomach. Richard's lips were curled up in his stupid, teasing smirk. _"Damn! I'm officially screwed."_

"What do we have here, Grumpy? Did the cute thing think you're its father, with those big, brown, puppy eyes of yours?" He teased me and I sighed, giving him a deadly glare.

"Shut up jackass. Assistant Danika asked me to train the husky, okay?" I shot back. When I looked down, J.J. was already petting the dog, feeding it pieces of the costly meat on her plate. Xin was silent, but by her softer eyes and the small smile on her lips, it looked like she liked dogs. That or she was amused by my current problem.

Suddenly, Richard made a salute, putting down his plate, stating formally, "Worry not, Antonio! I'll help you with that task of yours!" He sounded like he had just jumped out of a medieval story.

I face-palmed and retorted lowly, "Who told you that you could, Richard?"

He let out a cynical laugh and put his hand over his heart in a faux hurt tone, "C'mon, Antonio buddy, you're hurting my feelings, man." He paused and his face changed. "But look, it's better if we all give you hand with this."

I realized he was definitely right. The puppy had eaten all of Jessica's meat and was now slobbering and yipping to try and get Xin's. I watched her defensively pull her tray away with a miffed expression and almost laughed at the childish look on the Asian girl's face.

"I guess. We're in the same group after all."

By now, there were a lot a people grouped around our table, especially female trainees, drooling over the little white dog's cuteness.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cain approaching the dog with a joyful smile. Behind him was Jeorge. A little ways away, Rosaline and Elisa were also curious about the raucous laughter coming from this region.

Asta was also looking at us, her eyes filled with curiosity. Emma, Alina, and Emelia were part of the gaggle of girls drooling over the puppy. Although I couldn't hear them, I was sure they were the loudest out of all the girls.

However, despite the excited giggles, I heard a small, sarcastic scoff. From across my table, the brown-haired boy with a buzz cut stood up with a clatter. _"That was Cay, right? Quiet, stoic, typical bully."_

I wasn't prepared for his snarky remark, though. "Look at you, all happy, just 'cause you survived the first week and that cutie puppy...Don't get in my way with your weak bullshit during training."

Everyone awkwardly stood up, dispersing and slinking away. Some of them looked hurt, while others just looked plain angry. Elisa and Richard were among the latter types. I knew Richard, and that he was ready to punch the shit out of the guy, even if he was double his size. He was biting his lip in anger and his left leg was twitching. But there were people like Xin, who just stared at him with narrowed eyebrows. If I named the look in her eyes, it was probably disdain.

Surprisingly, Elisa was the first one to bite back. "Who do you think you are to talk shit about others? You think you're the instructor, 'cause you better look at yourself!" Rosaline grabbed her waist to pull her back. Her fists flailed in the empty air, but in the short glimpse I had of her face she sure looked pissed.

Richard stood up and shouted, without anyone to hold him back, "You know, screw you! People are stressed out all week, so they need to unwind. Unlike you! You have a stick up your ass or something?" He had a right to be mad, but I couldn't let him get punished yet again.

I grabbed him before he could get close and land a kick on Cay. The guy was just trying to rile us up because he had the slimiest smirk on his face.

"Don't be so mad just 'cause I threw facts at your faces. You're all disgraces! To your families, especially!" After leaving us with those bitter words, he turned his back and kept walking away.

The guy had crossed the line. Relating it to family, even I was affected. I bit back tears, but the sad expression filled my face when I thought about my parents.

By now, Richard was even more pissed off. Jessica and Xin were holding him back, but when I looked at their faces, they, too, like me, probably lost someone close to them. I decided to get some fresh air, quickly rushing out of the room. From behind me, I heard footsteps. I didn't know who it was, but I guessed it was Richard.

The husky was still by my side, though. It had somehow escaped the crowd, choosing to follow me. It was whimpering softly.

"Hey...Just ignore what the asshole said."

It was Richard.

I guessed it right, so Xin and Jessica must've been with me as well. I heard Xin's soft voice and her hand on my shoulder. "I know...what it feels like. To lose someone close to you, but although it sounds like...I must be..." She trailed off awkwardly, before finding the courage to continue. "I know it sounds like I'm being pushy, but trying to move on is the best move. I had to do that as well."

Her words almost pushed me to cry, but I held it back. Not even a year ago, my parents had died for sure, and I was still hurting.

Jessica noticed the tension and tried to ease it with, "Let's just ignore the guy and pretend he didn't exist! We have a day to enjoy!"

The blonde girl really had a way to clear the sadness. Her bright voice made it easier for me to hold back the tears and I turned around to thank them all for comforting me. I held out my hand in a handshake.

"Thanks..."

Xin was behind me, and as she grabbed my hand in a surprisingly strong grasp, she leaned closer. Her hair brushed against my face and a unique scent passed through my nose. It was pleasant, to say the least, but what surprised me the most was the light touch against my cheek. She had kissed me on the cheek, but by the unembarrassed look on her face, it was probably her greeting.

But me, I felt a blush creep onto my face. I forced it down with sheer willpower, and then congratulated myself on keeping my composure. However, I stepped away and shook Jessica's hand with a grin.

When I looked at Richard, his expression had changed. A slight narrow of his eyes and the tighter fists alerted me slightly. If I didn't know better, if felt like he would've smacked me around without a warning. But as soon as he noticed me looking at him, he assumed his normal expression, grinning. His smile wasn't as wide, though and I just concluded that he...might've been jealous.

"Guys, I'm gonna' go spend some time with this furball, all right? Gotta get to know him more than you guys, so you guys just go spend time together, I guess." I teased and all the tension was blown away, like by the wind. My heart was warm, surrounded by people I could depend on.

"See you soon." I called back as I headed towards a tree near the mess hall. It soothed me a lot, for some reason...

* * *

As I sat down, I leaned against the tree. The white puppy jumped onto my lap, looking at me with a strangely wise expression. This time, I couldn't resist; a small smile broke on my face and I gave him a pat on the head.

The sound of crunching alerted me to someone coming. Looking up, I saw Danika. I immediately looked back down, a flush spreading over my face. I didn't want her to see my weak expressions, but it was to no avail. She could read me like a book anyway.

"Antonio, what's wrong?" She knelt beside me.

I breathed heavily. "Just...thinking about my parents..."

From her position, she leaned closer, wrapping me in a one-armed hug. "You can't be like this forever, you know. You can remember them...but you're doing it wrong and hurting yourself in the end."

Her big-sister lectures kind of comforted me now. When before, they annoyed me, it felt like I needed them now. She was always right, so I decided not to say anything and only waited for her to continue.

"Why don't you remember the good times with them? Focus only on the good memories and try to forget that sorrowful day. If you don't do that...I'm afraid you'll be guilty forever...and end up doing something stupid, like before."

Her last words hit me like a bee stinger. My nose tingled slightly, the telltale feeling that I was about to tear up, but I bit my lip hard. I couldn't let myself constantly think about that day; I had to focus on the present...and the future.

I felt Danika's gaze on the incoming teasing and me. She would talk about the puppy, wouldn't she? "Looks like you two are good friends," she commented and I continued petting the puppy that was staring at me with adoring eyes. "Did you name it yet?"

I shook my head. "Forgot 'cause of all the mess going on."

She chuckled and said, "Well, we do know it's a boy... Any good names in mind?"

I was silent for a second, lost in my thoughts. A dozen names came into my mind, but then, as if a light bulb was lit in my head, I remembered one that I really enjoyed. Wish I was named that, but my parents thought it was silly, I think.

"All right, furball. You'll be Atlas, now, okay?" I picked him up in the air and he wagged his tail excitedly.

He gave me a small bark and seemingly smiled. When I put him back down, he jumped around in a circle, almost like a child with a new toy.

With Atlas being happy, and Danika by my side, a sense of warmth flooded over me. The blue sky and the light breeze were almost perfect. A picturesque moment and I just wanted it to be like this forever. _"Life's not that bad, I think..."_


	9. TC Arc - 5 - Relationships and Training

**-Two months later-**

**Richard's POV**

Two months of boring training had passed. It was only now that I was getting used to all of it. I regret not putting a lot of effort into getting better before, but now that I was trying harder, I think I'm doing all right.

Whoever decided making groups was amazing, honestly. Or maybe that was because I was paired with the three coolest trainers. Who are also my best friends now...

I shrugged on my casual attire: a black shirt, some beige pants, and my trademark brown boots. Afterwards, I strolled my way to the training grounds. There wasn't a rush because it wasn't Melda doing the training.

The afternoon sun was strong on my exposed skin and we were already dismissed from our duties, so Antonio and a couple of friends, including me, decided to group up and try to train Atlas. The little bugger was really big now, and his excitement was almost uncontrollably with only one person.

"Richy, wait up!"

I sighed in annoyance, but stopped when I heard J.J.'s voice. _"That damned demon girl! She had to tell J.J. about that nickname, didn't she?"_ At least I knew what J.J. stood for in a shorter time than the time it took for her to call me by that infernal name.

When she was younger, she was really outgoing and joyful. People took note of that and called her Jessica the Jokester, which shortened to J.J. It was a cute nickname, unlike Richy... But I almost had to beg for her to tell me her first name.

I turned around and saw Jessica coming in my direction, her steps bouncy and excited. Xin was lagging behind slightly in her usual fashion, choosing to rest her hands behind her head. Their normal outfits matched each of them really well and I couldn't help but stare. The sunlight glinted off of them, making them glow almost ethereally.

Jessica's short-sleeved green shirt and white slacks enhanced her blonde hair and her bright personality a lot. Her black boots almost shined in the light as she walked fast to catch up to me. She was really cute, the way she started waving wildly if someone caught her eye. A lot of people liked her for her bubbly personality, and I really appreciated it too.

Xin, on the other hand, found the blandest clothing: her typical white blouse and beige drawstring pants. But I thought with the plainness of those, it really made her as a person shine. Her tanned skin and slanted eyes really emphasized the pure strain of Oriental blood in her veins. She was the only Oriental girl in our squad, so she really attracted attention. With her calm and cool persona, paired with the oddly comforting presence around her, she was nicknamed, 'The Oriental Beauty.' I couldn't disagree with that.

By the time I realized I was lost in my thoughts, it was too late. I jumped up in surprise when I realized J.J.'s hand was waving in front of my face.

"Richy? You there, buddy?" J.J was really close and I backed up, almost bumping into Xin.

"Hey," she clasped my shoulders tightly. "Careful."

"S-Sorry!" I stammered quickly, trying to recover from that fumble. "Was a little distracted, my bad!"

They probably noticed the pink in my cheeks, but I was glad they didn't comment on it.

I shook my head. _"Damn, Richard, what are you thinking?! Stop looking at them like that!"_ Teenage hormones were the worst. Really.

Jessica only laughed at the weird reaction, while Xin let go of my shoulders. When she walked next to me, I glanced her way and saw a small smile on her lips. She was more than used to weirdness, I think.

The blonde-haired girl decided to finally speak up and she said, "Xin and I wanna watch the training with Atlas..." She trailed off, but I knew she was just lying. She'd want to do something more than just watch; she's the type to jump right into the fun.

"And...I really wanna play with him more! He's so cute and smart and stuff!" She shouted excitedly, blue eyes filled with joy. If her love for animals wasn't apparent enough, anyone would've guessed it now. She acted just like a kid sometimes, so I couldn't help but smile at her reaction. If just a little bit, I think she reminded me of my little sister.

"I'm just here to watch. Being alone isn't much fun, now," Xin murmured. I could barely catch what she was saying, but I heard it nevertheless. I didn't get to know a lot about her, even though I spent two months training with her by my side. It was mostly about me, now that I realized. Her words made me wonder about her past a little more, but I spied the training grounds just a little ways away from where we were.

* * *

When we arrived, Samuel sitting on the ground. His beige sweater and navy pants were bound to get dirty if he was just there...

By the reddening cheeks on his face, I realized he was trying his best not to laugh at Antonio. Looking directly at the training grounds, I spied Grumpy, running around, his face almost as red as his hair, trying to get Atlas to obey him and stay still. His blue shirt and black pants were brown with all the dirt already and I burst out laughing.

Now that Atlas was really growing fast, it was like that all the time. The darned puppy never listened to our commands, and with that wag of his tail, it seemed like he was enjoying the failed attempts to tame him. But to anyone that was serious, he would look up with those big blue eyes and whimper slightly. Antonio was really susceptible to that, but so was everyone else, including me, so I wasn't blaming him at all.

I groaned with annoyance. _"Gah, why can't they just force him with a leash or something?"_ Internally, I cursed at the silly friends that I had, but then I stopped, eyes widening. "Damn! I've started to sound like Grumpy..." I blamed it on too much contact with the guy.

Soon enough, Jessica joined Samuel in laughing at Antonio, while Xin meandered her way to a wooden bench.

I headed straight for Antonio.

"C'mon, if you're like this, you can't even begin training him! We need to be firm."

He turned around with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, that easy, huh? Why don't you try it, smartass?"

"Well, it's hard adjusting Atlas to a more strict schedule, now. Wonder why..." I shot back, tilting my jaw slightly. Antonio didn't talk but the constant contact of his gaze to mine meant he knew I asked him a rhetorical question.

"Who was the person acting like his mom in the first place?" His annoyed expression didn't change, but he was silent.

In the background, I heard a loud shout of laughter. "Oiii, did you two switch bodies or something? It's funny watching Antonio get scolded instead of Rich!"

Now that I realize it, normally Antonio's the serious one...

Just after Jessica's joke, I heard Samuel's voice chiming in. "You guys kinda look like a married couple...That's funny, but I'm kinda jealous, you know? Wish I had someone like that." His eyes almost pierced Antonio, and the last part was hard to hear.

My face paled. I tried not to think or imagine anything of that and just shouted back, "Dude! _**Gross!**_ Don't joke around like that or else people are gonna start rumors! I like girls, okay?"

But my backlash was making the situation worse. Antonio was glaring at both me and Samuel, while Jessica and... even Xin was laughing. The Asian girl had her hand pressed to her mouth and even from the distance; I could see the shaking of her shoulders. It was a new side of her that I hadn't seen before. The pink on her cheeks was...kind of cute.

From behind her, a new person strolled in. Blonde hair glinting in the sun, Danika grinned as she walked her way towards us. Atlas bounded towards her when she got closer and she knelt down, ruffling his fur.

"D-Did you hear everything?" I heard Antonio stammer and his cheeks were flaring red.

She had an amused smile on her face as well. She probably heard and watched everything that has happened.

Her smile was enough and he turned both pale and dark red, if that was even possible. His facial expression was priceless, though.

This time Antonio almost hided with the embarrassment I noticed how flustered he gets around Danika. He quickly tried to cover it up with a change of subject.

"W-Well...Thank God you're here, anyway! Since you take care of Atlas too, why don't you teach us how to make him stay quiet? You do it really well, don't you?" The redhead managed to speak without the constant breaking of his words.

She gave us a weird look and paused before answering, "Well...I'm afraid I don't have a special trick to teach you...It just kind of happens. Maybe...it's my leader-like aura that makes him so submissive." Her voice rose at the end and it was like she was pretending to be a pompous monarch. It made me stifle a chuckle and a small smile was starting to slip onto her lips.

"Well, that's not gonna work. Antonio's too lax on Atlas, and now he won't even listen to us," I complained. Turning towards Antonio, I frowned, "You shouldn't have pampered him so much. You even let him piggy-back ride you all the time."

The redhead sighed in defeat and admitted, "Ugh, okay, I get it. Geez. I went easy on him, but seriously! How can you not baby him a little when he makes that face?"

Before I could talk, Danika intervened with an alarmed expression. "Guys, I don't want to ruin your bromance moment, but...Where's Atlas?" She asked, looking around.

Antonio and I began to look around, a little panicked. But then, we looked up and face-palmed. The redhead concluded, "Atlas must really like annoying us. He climbed up that big ass tree again..." I watched as he started to run towards said tree.

I just shook my head and shouted, "Hey, I'll call Alina to help us get him down from there!"

As I ran in the opposite direction, a frustrated smile broke on my face. Despite the cons, there were a lot of pros. Although Atlas was a pain, since he kept climbing trees he couldn't get down from, he was honestly a very cute, as well as smart, animal. Something that was rare. Animals were rare in general, and I was feeling pretty fortunate that we could experience taking care of a soon-to-be dog.

* * *

After getting Atlas down, the sun was setting. The orange glow of the sky was quite pretty and for a moment, I stopped to stare. When I started to head back to the mess hall, I noticed that Xin wasn't anywhere to be seen. Not at the training grounds and certainly not walking with me. _"She probably got bored of our constant fighting and went back..."_ I thought to myself.

"W-Wait up, Richy!" From behind me, I heard J.J.'s voice and in a matter of seconds, she collided into my side with a grin. I just stumbled to the side with a deadpan look on my face.

"Stop it, J.J. You know I don't like that nickname," I rolled my eyes.

She just laughed and gave me a light punch on the arm. Like every other joker, she wasn't gonna let go so soon, but once it ran out of its "funniness" she would stop calling me it.

Before entering the mess hall, I noticed a black-haired boy making his way towards us, or rather, towards Jessica. His name was Alberto, but none of us really talked to him a lot, since he was in a separate team. In the past month, he had managed to ask out almost every blonde girl in the trainee squad, but each time, got rejected. As of lately, he was hanging around J.J. a lot more often, which kind of irked me. It was clear he was flirting and that J.J. had no interest, but she still entertained him...

I gave him a small glare that I hoped he felt. I should ask Antonio how to do his famous "death glares."

To be honest, it's not like I didn't like him. I just couldn't stand the fact that he was trying to get anybody's attention, especially hers. J.J. was a prime target for that kind of behavior, because she was so innocent. She wouldn't turn him down, and I knew that for a fact, because she didn't have a single mean bone in her body.

As Alberto walked closer, the strong stench of cologne wafted towards us. His shirt was newly washed; green in color, almost the same as the one J.J. was wearing, paired with black pants and shiny shoes.

The expression on his face was nervous and it was clear, while Jessica just tilted her head to the side.

"Do...you need something?" Her voice was quiet for once.

Alberto fidgeted for a moment before exclaiming, "H-Hey, J.J. Do you...want to hang out sometime?" His cheeks were flushing red now and his words were slightly accented, but I couldn't name it.

Jessica just blinked. From beside her, I could feel her body tense up and freeze. Then she shifted, moving slightly behind me.

I sighed with annoyance and rolled my eyes yet again. "Hey buddy. Sorry to break it to ya but she's not interested. Can't you see she's hanging out with me? Now, if you would excuse us..." I pushed back the small seed of guilt as I made my way past the sad-looking boy into the mess hall, holding tightly onto Jessica's wrist. It was kind of foreign, the way I acted, now that I realized it. My older brother instinct just kicked in and it came out so easily, as if I was trying to protect her.

In a way, I was. I just didn't want to acknowledge it.

"Everyone's trying to annoy me today, geez," I grumbled. I made sure my eyes were focused down so that people would know not to approach me. Today was not a very good day.

When we got into a quieter part of the mess hall, I realized I was still holding her hand...or technically her wrist. Looking at her suddenly, she met my gaze, then turned her face to the side. I was taken aback by her reaction; it was probably the first time that I had seen her acting demure...and that cute.

Jessica opened her mouth, still not looking at me.

"T-Thanks...Rich...for backing me up there," she murmured. But then her shy expression changed into a happier one, and by the glimmer in her eyes, she was about to tease me.

"You sounded like a jealous boyfriend," Jessica giggled and she rubbed her wrist with her other hand. "Can't you see she's hanging out with me?" She repeated what I said, trying to imitate my voice, but then breaking up into laughter.

If I had to say it, the imitation was kind of close. I tried to keep down my laughter and acted cool.

"Yeah, really funny, J.J. Next time, I'll leave you to deal with your fan alone," I replied seriously, keeping up the facade. However, a smile broke out on my face and her laughter only continued. I think these moments kept me sane throughout those two months of training. I lived for these kinds of moments.

She feigned a hurt expression, followed by a mocking, depressed sigh. "Y-You wouldn't do that...right, Richard? We're partners in crime, after all!" The blonde-haired girl held out her fist and I fist-bumped her back, giving up on my cool persona.

Jessica then floundered away from me, spinning once, before looking directly at me, brushing off the curly bangs of her pixie cut out of the way. She hesitantly said with an oddly serious expression, "But...you were kinda cool back there. I didn't know you had that kind of...protective side too. T-Thanks." Even with the dim lighting in the section of the mess hall, her cheeks appeared a light shade of pink.

Seeing Jessica embarrassed kind of transferred to me. I couldn't help but blush slightly too.

"U-Uh, you're welcome," I said, sounding too formal all of a sudden.

A strange silence fell between us, something that wasn't normal when we were together. Before I could think of anything else, my stomach growled loudly, which made Jessica snort slightly.

"Oh, um, well, looks like I'm hungry and you're...not, so I'm gonna get something to eat!" I started to babble, before I quickly took my escape into the crowd. Thankfully, there were a lot more students now than before, since the dinner bell had rung a couple of minutes before the entire scene with Alberto.

I wonder what the heck happened to me in those moments. Even I didn't know.

* * *

**Normal POV**

The next day was another day of training. But today, Melda and Danika had something different in mind for the trainees, something they had never really done before.

Since they had been training for two months, they already had good experience in hand-to-hand fighting and they knew the fluctuation of different environments after spending a couple of days running in raining forests and the snowy mountains near the camp.

The instructor and the blonde-haired assistant decided to group up all those skills together into a big exercise — a survival game.

She lined up the trainees and began her speech.

"Alright, maggots, listen up! Today, we're gonna explain the survival exercise that Danika and I thought up of. This will happen somewhere between the mountain and the forest zone on the east side of Wall Rose. Its duration will be two days and your goal is to avoid being captured by the other assistants and Garrison members that have volunteered to participate in your training!" Melda paused for a moment, letting her voice ring in the open morning air.

Then, with a sarcastic smile on her face, she explained the fun part. "You'll be sent there with only the uniforms on your shitty bodies right now! No access to 3DMG or any weapons!" Melda scanned the crowd with satisfaction, relishing in the worried expressions that popped up.

"However, the older members are allowed to use their 3DMGs and any kinds of traps to capture all you brats! Once you're captured, they'll tie you up and transport you to the prison zone where you'll wait until the end of the exercise."

By now, the trainees had mixed responses. Some were enthusiastic, while others were nervous. The rest were just tilting their heads and waiting for the actual moving to happen.

Melda clapped her hands in annoyance, shouting, "I'm not done yet! Your objective is to survive for those 48 hours that we send you out. On the clock, you'll hear a bell and when you do, get back to the safe house that we send you out from. As incentive, the first two groups to get captured will be punished, and the last one standing will have a free day and food privileges for a week!"

At those words, all of the students were pumped up. Melda smirked internally at their reaction and thought, _"Those greedy brats, only getting excited when there's a prize at the end."_

"There are rules to this, it's not a free-for-all." At that, some kids groaned. "First: no 3DMG or weapons, period. If you're caught in possession of one, your ass is disqualified immediately! The only way to engage a capturer is if you defeat them in hand-to-hand combat and they will be disqualified when you take the badge they're wearing as a necklace. They will go back to the safe zone to grab a new badge and enter your zone an hour later."

The exercise, to most of the trainees, sounded close to impossible. Although weapons wouldn't be allowed, the 3DMG gave the hunters a large movement advantage...

Melda's yell shut all the students up. "Will you listen quietly until the end, worthless shits?! Second rule! Only one hunter is allowed to attack a group of two trainees! If your group is bigger than two, do the math and deal with it."

The basic math problem made some nod in satisfaction. If a team had four members, the max amount of hunters they could encounter at once was 2, giving them a number advantage. However, the loner trainees now had huge grins on their faces. If they split up and only one capturer could attack two trainees, it meant that they could just separate from their group and survive the whole exercise.

"And now, third: If anyone tries to ditch their team and lone wolf this exercise out, they will be attacked by all the capturers at once. If you're caught like that, get ready to say goodbye to your dinner for a whole month. Trainees cannot attack each other. This is an exercise to help you at your shitty teamwork. If you suck at teamwork, get better at it, because once you graduate, you'll need to work in squads and _survive_."

Right after explaining the rules, Danika decided to take the lead and finish the lecture, "Alright, guys, now that you know the rules and the basics, head to the main building where you're going to get transported to the designated area by wagon."

The trainees were already discussing ideas on how to survive and weren't paying attention anymore, so Melda decided to break a couple eardrums and scare the shit out of others. "Get your asses into the wagons before I whip them in!"

Every trainee jumped up in fright. The black-haired instructor's roars could scare a grown man shitless.

With that, the 104th Trainee Squad organized itself and began the journey to the spot where their intelligence and strength would be tested.


	10. TC Arc - 6 - The Hunters and the Prey

**Surviving exercise – Part 1**

**Iosif's POV**

It was a long and hard journey. The wagons leading up to the hills were rickety and when we arrived, my bottom was aching from the bumps on the road. In front of me, a small wooden shed stood like a sentry. I presumed it was going to be the safe zone mentioned earlier.

The wind was blowing harder here than back at the training camp and I adjusted my button-up shirt and coat to stop myself from shivering. However, when I looked down the strong wind only got my hair into my eyes and I could barely see past the blonde fringe. When I looked back up, all I saw was gray, swirling clouds. It looked like it could rain any minute.

From the vantage point, I could see that on one side, there was a huge forest, with trees growing taller than where we were standing. _"That must be the famous Forest of Giant Trees."_ I thought, my eyes widening with amazement.

I shook myself though; I still needed to find my teammates.

Through the mass of trainees, it was easy to spot Alberto. He was, by far, the most tanned out of the entire squad and his light blue shirt stood out against the sea of browns and greens.

He was next to my other friend, Alina, a blonde girl sporting a short, wavy haircut. She was pretty easy to spot as well; no one really wore a hoodie under a coat because it would be too hot.

A smirk found itself on my face when I watched them interact.

Alberto was constantly flirting with the blondes of the squad and it was no exception now. However, unlike the shy and unable-to-refuse attitude of most of the students here, Alina would probably end up giving him a few friendly punches and a direct rejection.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder and I whirled around. But it wasn't anyone I hated, which was good.

It was just Kaspar, the last person of our group.

Although he was shorter than me, he was still one of the tallest trainees. His black hair matched with the cold and distant green eyes he had, but the red shirt underneath his jacket was pretty bright; I wasn't sure how I missed him before.

Despite his loner-like attitude and silent demeanor, I knew he wasn't a bad guy. I met him before I joined the training camp, but only for a few weeks, since I was once transferred to the same farm as he.

"We should probably get them and discuss some tactics, huh?" Once I said that, his expression went from somewhat amiable to bored.

Before he could speak, I commented again, "You might not be so good at plans, but it'd help the rest of the team." Inadvertently, my words turned out to be teasing. I couldn't help but do it; he was always so uptight and serious.

"Mm," he grunted, and I was temporarily confused, until he started walking towards the pair. I needed to learn how to read his minimal way of speaking; I honestly wasn't used to anyone not replying with words.

Just as we reached Alberto and Alina's sides, I heard a shout from Melda. "Listen up, lazy brats! Training exercise is starting now!"

Panic shot through my veins. It was clear everyone else was just a hint scared; the atmosphere was tenser than usual.

The black-haired instructor looked at her wrist to check her watch. "Well, better get on with it. You have 48 hours to survive. Your hour head start is running out."

And just like that, several groups sprinted off like fleeing squirrels. Some flocked to the forest, while others headed farther down the hills. But us? We hesitated, as if she had something else to say.

"Shoo! Get your asses moving cockroaches!"

I looked at my teammates, but seeing the blank expressions on their faces, decided to take the lead. I talked the most and kept them together, after all. "Let's go! Maybe we should start with gathering food...down there." The Forest of Giant Trees was right in front of us and Kaspar inclined his head slightly, hopefully to agree. Alberto and Alina both looked confused but nodded anyways and we trekked towards the looming forest.

* * *

Not even hours past, only minutes, and my limbs were starting to feel fatigued. My mouth was dry from the steady sunlight sizzling us and I wondered how Alina survived with that hoodie on.

However, we all pushed through and made it to the edge of the forest. If it weren't for the stressful situation, I would've said the trees were magnificent. They were nothing like I'd ever seen before.

They were probably 80 meters tall, and their branches were almost the width of my body. Not to mention, the trunks were gigantic; not even 8 of me hugging the tree would measure around them.

My decision wasn't the greatest. The branches and height of the trees made it easier for 3DMG users to move, which put us at a disadvantage.

"Maybe we should've gone away from the forest..." I pressed my lips together and spoke doubtfully.

However, Kaspar spoke words for the first time in a few hours. "There's a lot of wildlife here. Food."

In his hands, he had several berries and plants that were almost unrecognizable to me. Alina stared at the items in his hands, sparkles in her eyes.

"Whoa, never knew that was edible! Kaspar's pretty cool, huh?" She grinned and went on her way to find similar-looking plants to eat.

Just as I was about to compliment him, he dropped down into a kneeling position and gently shifted the berries into his breast pocket. When I leaned closer, I noticed rocks in his hands. He was rubbing the sides and turning them over repeatedly, examining them closely. Did he mean to start making tools? I wasn't sure and I didn't want to sound stupid so I just asked: "What're you doing?"

He didn't answer immediately. In the distance, I could hear Alberto and Alina muttering, discussing what plants to use.

But when he turned slightly, I saw the smirk on his face. It showed something like...satisfaction.

A sharp-looking rock was in his hands and the two finally came back, their arms laden with fruits. Alberto stopped and stared with confusion at Kaspar, who was still silent, before speaking up. "Oi...Kaspar...You planning on using that against the hunters? You know it's against the rules, right..?" Alina was nodding furiously, worry etched on her face.

However, my gut told me that wasn't it. He wasn't the type to be cruel or break rules.

The black-haired boy first answered with shaking his head, the smirk gone from his face. Then he faced us and replied, "Nah. Melda only said that we can't use weapons against the hunters, right? So, she's allowing us to make weapons to hunt for food."

The three of us exchanged impressed looks. Kaspar was actually really useful... Hunting animals was no easy feat, but with weapons, it would make the task more fun...but also easier. Before we could discuss, the guy decided to continue his explanation, showing us the stone he had caught. It really was sharp, but it was kind of jagged, not the smooth surface I was thinking it would be.

"This stone is good enough for a spearhead. We just need a firm stick and vine," he stated, turning back around again.

I tapped his shoulder and grinned, jerking him backwards slightly. "Nice! You're pretty useful out here, so don't look so glum." His serious expression was starting to bug me.

However, to my dissatisfaction, his face didn't change a bit. From behind us, Alina piped up, "Hey, this isn't the first time you've hunted, right, Kaspar?"

Kaspar shook his head with the same apathetic response, but his green eyes softened slightly with something I caught as sadness. "No. I had to do it before to survive," he muttered and as if it was only meant for me. Alina and Alberto exchanged glances and it didn't seem as if they heard his response. However, just by that, I knew her asking him triggered some unhappy memories.

Quickly, I grinned and tightened my grip on Kaspar, deciding to change the subject. "Guys, we should start moving again. I bet we only have a few minutes before the hunters start to chase us."

Everyone nodded and moved at a faster pace through the forest. Periodically, the black-haired male beside me would bend down to pick something up.

I was starting to get impatient, though. Nothing in the forest had any signs of a river. My tongue was starting to dry out and not a lot of saliva was left in my mouth.

"What branches are you going in?" Alberto, surprisingly, was the one to break the silence. He looked at Alina and she smiled slightly, something unknown passing between the two of them.

She answered, "Well, I'm going in the Scouting Legion, just like he is. I'm curious about you two, though..." Her reply was slightly hesitant for some reason, but her green eyes were hopeful. Kaspar sighed, probably in response to Alina's bright, hope-filled dreams.

"You two have guts, that's for sure. Seeing what happened in Shiganshina, anyway," he trailed off and was silent again, staring at the floor with an unreadable expression.

"I don't really know what branch I'm going in," a laugh bubbled out of my mouth and I could feel their surprised gazes on me. "But if there's something I really hate is that feeling of oppression. Feeling like a bird in a cage... Except the Walls are just the cages. I'm fighting for freedom, and I guess that'll lead me to open my eyes on what Legion I'm joining."

However, Kaspar spoke up before anyone else, but he didn't look any of us in the eye. "I don't think I'd want to risk my life for others. I'm planning on getting into Top 10 to join the Military Police."

Despite his selfish words, we couldn't really insult him. Valuing our own lives was nothing to be ashamed of, because secretly, I was scared of death as well. Alina was definitely more affected by his words; she began lagging behind and in the twenty minutes we continued, we had to encourage her to keep going.

However, a dull whirring noise started to echo around us. Looking around, I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, until Alina froze, the color in her face draining. Her hands started to shake and she tilted her head up to stare at us.

"G-Guys...?! My...my foot's stuck!" She wailed out. From her loud voice, several birds fluttered out of the trees, cawing loudly.

All of us rushed by her to help, but then the sound of breaking branches made us look up to see a metal cage close. Jumping back, I was almost caught, but now, the only one separated was Alina.

Turns out, it was a hunting trap. She was desperately clinging to the side, shaking it, fear reflecting in her eyes.

Kaspar was the first to get up to examine the cage.

However, the grave expression on his face spoke of nothing but bad luck.

"Bad news. The cage...is stuck in the ground and has a key lock," he groaned quietly and I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. We had no way to save her, and even she understood. Alina pressed her lips together into a pale line and I could see her throat gulping in anxiety.

Suddenly, the peace of the forest was broken by the sound of hooks and gas expulsion. A sound that was very familiar.

A 3DMG.

We all tensed up. "Damn!" I muttered. "Hunters are already here...!"

For a few seconds, all we could do was look around, but in the end, even Alina sighed and cried out, "Just go! Run! Win it for me, okay?! There's nothing you can do now..."

"Shit." I clenched my fists tightly, but with Kaspar pushing me, I couldn't resist. He leaned closer and whispered, "C'mon, let's move or we'll be next."

With that, the three of us decided to make a run for it. Regretfully, I abandoned Alina, my heart heavy.

I couldn't help but think, _"That's how this cruel world works..."_

* * *

**Asta's POV**

It was two hours into the survival exercise.

My teammates, Rosaline and Elisa, were still walking around a small tree-infested area a couple of meters away from the starting cabin.

The giant forest wasn't the best area to start off in, suggested by Rose, and neither Elisa nor I could disagree with her.

She looked like she knew what she was doing, so it couldn't hurt to follow her suggestions. I was, honestly, a terrible team player. Plans and strategizing was never my forte, so I trusted Rose to keep us on track.

Elisa didn't seem like the kind of person that was good in planning either.

At the first sound of Melda yelling start, the girl tried to run off into the most dangerous area and had to be held back by Rose. Admittedly, it was funny, but letting her go would've been the end for her.

However, now she was just a nuisance. She wouldn't stop blabbering about how awesome it would be to fight the hunters head-on.

She was more than reckless and more than a fool. But I couldn't help but admire how headstrong and adrenaline-pumped she was. Her instincts were probably good if she survived for this long with that attitude.

Thankfully, during the first hour, we were able to find a source of water that shielded us from dehydration. That was one check off the list. The smaller forest area had a lot less food than the Forest of Giant Trees, but there were still fruits aplenty. There just weren't many animals.

Despite all our advantages, a Garrison member already attacked us. Luckily, it was just an old dude that underestimated us since we were all girls.

But he was damn wrong.

In the beginning, it was hard, since we needed to coordinate our moves. Several times, I had kicked Elisa instead of the guy and occasionally, I found my punches being deflected by Rose instead of hitting the guy. However, we managed to knock him down and now, the pin he had was stuck on Rose's jacket.

* * *

Now, we were just trying to find a good place to make camp. All of us were looking for a discreet area near the lake so we'd always have some source of nourishment.

Despite looking cloudy, the moisture of the forest made it rather hot and humid. When Melda said that it was going to be up in the hills, I thought it would've been cold, so I brought my favorite white jacket. However, I realized my prediction was really wrong. It was now tied around my waist, but sweat still dripped off my forehead.

Unconsciously, I heaved a sigh and from the corner of my eye, I noticed Elisa glance at me. The brunette opened her mouth and I could just sense the complaints pouring out of her mouth.

"Ugh, I told you we should've went into the forest. It's no fun here!"

Rosaline looked back at her with a motherly scolding look. That seemed like their relationship: Rose would've been the mother, while Elisa the rambunctious child. I was a little jealous, to say the least, since I didn't have anyone I could trust, unlike them.

"Elisa! I told you it's not a good idea...Forget about it! I-I mean...well...we're just trying to survive, not make a fight, okay?" At first, she was scolding her, but near the end, she began to stammer. Maybe she noticed her voice was starting to sound too bossy.

But the energy-filled brunette squirt only laughed. "C'mon, you know I love danger!" Her enthusiastic yell and the fist pump made Rose quickly shush her.

At least someone was having fun. I could feel a small smile spreading on my face just watching them.

As we continued to look out for places to rest in, I started to lag behind the two. Watching them interact from behind was a lot more entertaining than in the front, for some reason. However, I suddenly heard something out of the ordinary.

"Guys!" At my hiss, both of them looked at me. "I heard something. Get down!"

They both crouched in a hurry and we stayed quiet for a few moments. I turned out to be right.

The noise was out of the ordinary, because they were the sound of hooks.

Rosaline scooted towards me and said lowly, "Guess we have company. Gotta be careful, they might be in one of these trees."

Elisa, on the other hand, looked pumped up and ready to go. Her hazel eyes flared with joy, but before she could do anything more than squeak, the pink-haired girl grabbed her wrist and glared at her like before. The happiness in her eyes was snuffed out, but in a few seconds, the gleam came back, shinier than ever.

"You know...We can take this Garrison member by surprise," I started out. I looked at the other two's expressions and I felt...almost lighter, happier, when they both nodded.

"Well, since we have three members, the two of us could act as bait, while the other attacks the hunter from behind. That'll definitely give him a heart attack," Rose commented. Elisa and I looked at each other, blinking slowly.

Clearly, the pink-haired girl was a better strategist than we could ever be, so we just nodded. Where we lacked in intelligence and strategy, she made up with it, I guess. But she was probably the strongest out of all of us.

I replied, "So...Elisa and I will act as bait, then?"

The brunette opened her mouth, but closed it, surprisingly. It was clear she was itching to punch something, but I was mildly surprised she could handle herself.

We both stood up to start our plan, triumphant grins on our faces. Rosaline kept herself hidden, though, choosing to hide behind a clump of rocks.

Not long after, we heard the sound of abnormally rustling leaves and gas. They were coming.

Pretending like we didn't notice, I had my back towards the noise, but I felt a strong hit on my back that flung me down. A foot perhaps?

I winced, but there was no one disabling me, so I looked around, my other arm rubbing my back. To my side, a black-haired man with a Garrison outfit was tussling with Elisa. He was on top of her, a rope in his hands, as he tried to subdue the struggling brunette.

The man barked a sarcastic laugh as I struggled to regain my balance. "Hah, I knew it'd be easy to capture you girls! Stop biting back and stay still 'cause it's hopeless for you!"

The fact that we were targeted because we were girls made my blood boil. _"Just because we're girls?! I'll kick your ass!"_ I thought to myself. I could feel my senses coming back to me and by then, I'd be so ready for a fight.

"Shut up, you...caveman! I'll show you who's the weaker one!" Elisa spat out and suddenly; the man was having a harder time tying her down. The rope around one of her wrists slipped away and he was starting to sweat slightly.

However, my vision blurred slightly and I realized I wasn't even close to recovering from that last kick. The leverage that the 3DMG gave to the man, made his kick a lot stronger and the aching in my back didn't help.

But before I could even react, a blur tackled the Garrison member. Rosaline's face was what scared me the most though.

Her normal, gentle, green eyes were now flaring with animalistic rage. The fact that a simple thing like pushing down her friend could generate this kind of anger made me tremble slightly. She looked like a fierce bear, claws and teeth and all.

The Garrison member was so startled he went limp. Without a single ounce of hesitation, Rose's right arm smashed into the man's head.

"Aaargh!"

His screams echoed around the forest as she continued to punch his face. She only stopped when Elisa grabbed her arm, stopping the assault. Even the brunette was scared of the ferocity of her pink-haired friend.

I could only watch as Rosaline rolled off the man with a petite cough. Disgust and contempt was clear on her face, though, and I couldn't help but feel the same way for the man that was almost knocked unconscious.

He had a broken nose, blood leaking out of his nostril, and a black eye was already forming, along with a couple of bruises on the side of his face.

"You probably went too far with this, eh?" I commented as I strolled towards them, my back still throbbing with pain.

However, I didn't stop Elisa from kicking the guy's leg. "Beaten by three girls, smarts and strength...Who's the weaker one now?"

She made me laugh. He deserved all of that, honestly, after his badmouthing.

I crouched down next to the guy. From his swelling eye, he glared at me, but I just smirked, leaning over to rip off the necklace around his neck. Then, with a scoff, I dropped it into my breast pocket.

Then, for good measure, I knocked him unconscious with a swift kick to the head, ignoring the sudden concern for the man on Rosaline's part.

"So he won't come back for us anytime soon. He probably won't be participating anymore," I couldn't help the satisfied tone in my voice when I spoke.

Elisa grinned widely. "That was a hell of a plan, you know."

Rose nodded and I just shrugged. The gaze of the brunette was drilling a hole into me and I shifted slightly.

"We're pretty good as a team, huh?"

She was trying to make friends...So I just nodded. It was fun, that was for sure. Being all girls meant that people went easier on us, but I knew that that wouldn't be the case outside of camp. Titans...Titans didn't care whether or not you were a man or a woman, girl or boy... However, Elisa wasn't done because she was still drilling holes into my body with her eyes.

She raised her eyebrow and continued, "I still don't know why you'd want to join the Military Police...You've got skill...and you should come with us! To the Scouting Legion!"

That straightforwardness almost made me choke.

Sighing, I replied, "I'm not like you guys. I'm a combination of shitty strength and no intelligence. What sets me apart from you guys even more is that I don't have a death wish. I'd rather live my life peacefully inside Sina, rather than in a Titan's belly as a piece of meat."

But, at the same time, I didn't even believe what was coming out of my mouth. It just sounded like I was bluffing up, trying to live as long as I possibly could. I knew I was strong, maybe even stronger in terms of brute force than Elisa, and mentally prepared, but I didn't want to admit it to myself. The pressure of seeing a Titan up close...Just imagining it was enough for me.

Elisa just rolled her eyes, though. Before she could reply to me, Rosaline poked her side with an angry pout, and the brunette closed her mouth.

However, as I walked in front of them, my hand drifted to my chest.

My heart was...warm. It was a while since I felt that.

She liked me being there. Elisa did. _"She said we worked well as a team..."_

* * *

After a while, we were just aimlessly wandering, and the warmth in my heart slowly ebbed away. The sky was turning a darker gray, signaling that time was running out 'til nighttime, or that a storm was coming. To answer my thoughts, a loud noise echoed through the small forest and we all jumped up.

It sounded like thunder...

"W-What the heck...?" Elisa sounded awestruck.

"That's...smoke, right?" Rosaline sounded as surprised as her friend as she pointed towards the Forest of Giant Trees.

I squinted and looked at where she was pointing. "Shit, yeah, you're right...Something's on fire! Maybe the thunder caused it?"

Silence fell over us. Rosaline seemed to be lost in thought while Elisa was fidgeting from side-to-side, the pinched expression on her face only signaling that she was ready to start sprinting towards that fire, anything that would prove to be entertaining.

But just like the brunette, I couldn't help but want something more exciting. Without waiting for Rose's perfect plan, I started running towards the Forest, shouting behind me, "I'm going ahead! Meet me over there, okay?"

I didn't dare look back.

Until I heard a shout. "Oi! Asta! Wait up! We're coming!"

A smile spread on my face as I slowed down. Something crashed into me and an excitedly grinning face was all I saw, but that was Elisa. Then, from next to me, Rosaline placed a hand on my shoulder with a soft smile.

_"This...this is warmth. This is friendship, huh?"_ I thought to myself. I couldn't help but smile along with them as well. Even through the tension of the exercise and the prospect of a forest fire.

With that, we made our way towards the Forest of Giant Trees without an ounce of apprehension.


	11. TC Arc - 7 - Forest Survival

**Surviving exercise – Part 2**

**Jeorge's POV**

Two hours in and so far, Cain, Samuel, Emelia, and I have tried to keep a low profile. For the past half an hour, we had been trying to look for a good hideout in the small forest area that was close to a river.

The training made us all feel really nervous. Quiet, even. We couldn't think about eating; hunger had flown away someplace far, far away from our minds. I guess we were just trying to adjust to the situation.

Well, except for Cain.

He was always hyperactive, whether or not he was feeling safe or not. He didn't really worry about anything and was constantly excited, something that reminded me of a child.

He was a good friend, albeit a little tiring to deal with. However, even if he seemed careless, he was reliable and a good partner to have.

The three of us were the same. Samuel, Emelia, and I, I meant.

We were all pretty shy in the beginning. Cain was the guy that kind of drew us out of our shells with his cheery disposition. We were quieter than Cain, since most of the time he was talking. We just listened to him ramble on and on, but it never really bothered us.

Emelia was probably the most silent out of the three; Samuel and I chipped into the conversation sometimes, but she never tried to, unless it concerned her.

Well, that was in the beginning.

Emelia kinda relaxed around us, something I'm pretty happy about. She's not so scared of us anymore.

At first, I thought Emelia would be the one to bandage us, but that turned out to be Samuel, the other blonde in our group. Despite his silence and lack of strength, his diligence and ability to keep everyone together really made up for it.

We each had our own roles.

I was the leader. Cain was the motivator. Emelia, someone to protect, and Samuel, the support.

We wouldn't, or couldn't, be a team without each other.

As we made our way through the forest, I kept looking up. It looked like it could rain any minute now. The vegetation made the air hot and humid, uncomfortably so, despite the elevation. I was getting a little dizzy because of it.

Unfortunately, Samuel noticed I was falling behind and piped up, "You okay there, Jeorge? You don't look so good..." Concern laced his voice.

I didn't eat breakfast this morning, which obviously wasn't a good idea, thinking about it now. I was just scared of being late, so I skipped. Melda was pretty frightening when she yelled. The walking and the weather really didn't help.

I grinned weakly, "Yeah, don't worry. I'm okay...just need to eat something." I didn't want them to worry about me. I didn't want to be a liability, after all.

By now, everyone had stopped to stare at me with worried looks.

_"Can't hide anything from these guys, huh?"_ I thought to myself, my weak smile strengthening. They were all great friends.

Emelia was pulling out her pockets quickly, her expression slowly getting more distressed as she turned out more and more of her pockets. Finally, she found something and her face brightened, rushing towards me. She grabbed my hands and pressed something into mine, looking excited.

"U-um, here! Eat this! I know it's not much, but I knew I put it somewhere for an occasion like this," she spoke, and then averted her eyes, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Thanks, Emelia," I gave her a pat on the shoulder and eagerly bit into the fruit-like object. At least it was edible.

After I finished, Cain shouted enthusiastically, "Hey, guys! We should probably return to that lake earlier and maybe go fishing for some food."

Samuel glanced at him with a nod and said, "Yeah, I agree. One of us could fish and the others gather wood, then cook them up like the previous exercise."

No one was against the idea, so we went along with it.

There weren't a lot of choices anyway.

As we were walking to the lake, Cain seemed a little uneasy. He was constantly looking around, his eyes darting about the surroundings.

I was the only one that really noticed it. He was never nervous, not even during the exercises.

I approached him and, lowly, asked, "Is there something wrong?"

He looked surprised and quickly tried to hide it with a smile. "E-Er, it's probably nothing..." He said vaguely. I knew he was hiding something though, so I raised my eyebrow in doubt.

He sighed in defeat and replied, "Don't you think that we've been too lucky? Like, we haven't gotten attacked yet it feels weird. I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched..."

My eyes widened. It did seem a little fishy...

"Now that you say it...It does seem a little weird. Guess we should be more careful, then," I said, getting a little worried.

Emelia and Samuel, who were a few steps ahead, started to notice us lagging behind.

The blonde girl eyed us strangely and called, "That's kind of rude, guys. What're you guys talking about?"

Her reply surprised me a little. Though she was mostly quiet, when it came down to things that she thought were important, she was pretty forward.

What she said made me wonder about whether or not to tell them. If we did, they might get riled up and panic, but I wasn't sure how to deal with it.

Was it better to lie, or tell the truth? But before I could say anything, Cain decided to blurt out, "Well, we thought we're being watched by someone."

I cut in front of whoever was about to reply to Cain with, "C'mon, don't worry too much about it now. Let's just keep focusing and try to avoid being attacked."

Despite my attempt to ease the tension, Samuel wasn't getting any more relaxed. Emelia stared at him, reading the atmosphere.

"Hey, don't get so nervous! We've been doing just fine, so there's no need to sweat, right?" She grinned and tugged on Samuel's sleeve, walking backwards. His face broke into a small smile and he nodded, letting himself get dragged.

However, we were so distracted, we didn't even notice the trap that Samuel and Emelia were walking right into.

By the time I noticed it was too late. "Samuel, Emelia, stop! Don't move!"

Emelia blinked, continuing to walk. "What's wron—**KYAAA!**" The pitfall trap on the ground already activated the second her foot hit the switch. I threw my arm in front of Cain to stop him.

"Whoa, that was close," Cain sighed in relief, running a hand through his hair. "Shoot, though, was that Emelia screaming? That was pretty cute!"

"I know right—" I stopped myself. If there were traps, there were bound to be Garrison members. "C'mon, we gotta help them!"

We both kneeled in front of the pit, peering over the edge. It was a simple hole trap, covered in leaves that didn't even blend in with the dirt. All of us had passed the detection test for this trap, and yet we fell for it anyway.

Luckily, the hole wasn't extremely deep, so it would be easier to pull them out. Cain was already at it, reaching his hand out for Samuel to grab, but he retracted suddenly, just as we all heard something behind us.

From behind a tree, two men wearing the Garrison uniform shuffled out, cocky smiles adorning their faces.

"Heh, stupid kids. Never knew they'd fall for _that_ trap," one of them almost cackled.

I quickly stood up, tense.

Both of the men were making their way towards us, but before they could get in a close distance, I shouted, "Stop! Two members of our group are inside the trap, so it means only one of you can attack!"

One of them was fuming. His partner shushed him with a punch to the arm.

The man approaching us was older. Grayish in both hair and face, he gave me a sarcastic, slow clap, saying, "At least you brats know the rules. Now, come on! Show me what you weaklings got!" He beckoned at us, taunting, the look on his face already making my blood boil.

Cain shuffled beside me, crouching slightly with his arms up. "Two on one should be easy if our opponent's just a geezer." I fought off a grin, and watched as the Garrison member's face twisted in anger.

However, I pushed Cain slightly. "Help them first. He should be fairly easy and the hole isn't deep," I hissed under my breath.

He nodded, and then rushed back to the pit.

"Damn cocky brat! You think you can take me alone, huh?!" He yelled. A vein was bulging on his neck, a red flush creeping up on his face. He moved quickly, fueled by whatever taunts me and Cain threw at him.

Despite his age, he was pretty fast, and I couldn't dodge enough when he tackled me. I was temporarily disorientated by the slam of my body against the ground, but I retaliated the second I recovered, throwing a punch that he blocked, rolling off of me. A smirk spread on my face. A good challenge was always welcomed.

Trading punches, both of us could see we were getting tired.

I was faster than him, but he was stronger.

In the end, we were both getting tired. My breath was coming out in fast, heavy pants, but he was also breathing hard. Cain was still trying to get Samuel out of the pit, and I was just stalling for time.

The older man was looking rather annoyed, possibly because he was at the same ability as a "rookie", so he snarled, "I'm done playing with you, brat!"

He quickly rushed at me and I thought he was trying to end it, but he just ran right past me, his leg outstretched in a kick.

"Cain! Watch out!" I shouted, but again, I was too late. All he could do was cover his chest to avoid serious damage. The loud thump made me wince, but then the Garrison member trained a sharp eye on me.

His friend emerged from behind the tree.

"Well, looks like we captured three of your teammates...and you're all alone." A depraved smile spread on his face.

_"It's over,"_ I thought to myself as I tried to dodge. Fighting the first man was hard enough and I was already weakened. I ended up giving up, letting myself accept a strong punch in the stomach. The second guy decided to attack then, tripping me, grinding my head into the ground.

With that, all of us were strung up and taken back down to Melda.

Once we came to, Melda had yelled at us for being captured.

But I was kind of relieved to know that we weren't the only ones that were captured. There were others worse off than us.

Many had been subdued when fighting, some injured themselves, and others, like Alina, had been caught in traps.

However, the instructor laughed, saying that she already expected the early-captured trainees since the exercise was so tough.

Now, we were all just taking a rest after our pushup punishment from Melda. We weren't even prepared for anything as startling as the sound of thunder.

It was loud. Impeccably so. When we all rushed to the windows, we were able to witness a lightning bolt strike deep in the forest, followed by a clap of the loudest thunder we had ever heard.

My mouth went dry and my hands started to shake. "I've...seen this before..." I muttered to myself, my mouth and eyes wide open. _"Where?"_

Cain scooted closer, asking, "Hey, buddy, you okay? It's nothing, just a storm, so relax." A kind smile spread on his face as he gripped my shoulder.

_Shiganshina._

The feeling of his hand helped, but the realization was like a spear through the chest. It was not a simple thunderbolt.

Suddenly, I heard a lot of yelling, and Melda burst through the door, startling all the Garrison members situated to watch us.

"Everyone, gear up! The lightning hit the Forest and there are probably still _idiots_ in there! Team up and rescue everyone before the fire kills 'em all!"

Watching the officers leave, I dropped my gaze into my lap. My shaking fingers.

Who would be lucky enough to go in there and come out alive?

**Xin's POV**

An hour had passed into the exercise. We've been moving like mindless sheep, trying to find a place to belong.

The lack of trees in the grassy meadow area contributed to the uncomfortable heat settling between our skin and clothing, but it was a good idea nonetheless. We wouldn't have to worry about being attacked by 3DMG users.

Our nerves were fraying, and it was felt in our group, because the two males never stopped arguing.

I can't remember who said it...but they acted like a married couple, almost. The typical, storybook kind anyway: bickering one moment, all over each other the other.

Jessica didn't help the situation at all. She was always laughing at both of them, but most of the time taking Richard's side. Every time she did, Antonio would lose his head. It was obvious he didn't understand her at all.

Antonio hated people with carefree attitudes, and his sharp words caused a lot of misunderstandings and fights in our group. People like Jessica and Richard didn't sit very well with him, but I don't think he minded me.

Despite our troubles, we all got along fairly well, like most of the groups. Richard was probably our center.

He had the kind of personality that attracted everyone, even if they didn't like him, intentionally or not. Despite his laziness at...almost everything, he was one of the strongest in our squad. And he was...a good person.

Something I wish I was, sometimes.

Although I didn't have many friends, he was one I could call a good friend. We met each other first, anyway.

But, I couldn't trust him. It's funny, calling someone a friend, but not being able to share all of my problems with that friend. My chest constricted and I found it harder to breathe. Thinking about it wasn't going to help my current situation, but no matter how hard I tried to focus on something else, it didn't work. _"I don't want him to find out...I don't want him to look at me differently,"_ I thought, reaching into my jacket pocket. My lucky charm was in there, a smooth stone.

It helped me through some of the hardest times I've had.

I noticed Richard glancing at me, but he said nothing. Instead, he shouted enthusiastically, "Alright, guys, group up!" He crouched, reaching over to grab a stick with his left hand.

Naturally, he was our leader. He had kind of shifted into the role; no one really enunciated who it was, but looking at the way our group interacted, it was clear he was the center of attention. He did have some semblance to strategizing like a leader, but sometimes, we had to step in to make him see the second option. Sometimes it was the better option, but sometimes his plans worked smoother than ours.

When I looked down, there were some strange-looking scribbles with four funny figures.

Antonio face-palmed and sighed. "What the heck is that, Richard? Stop fooling around..." He glared at Richard with animosity.

Richard made a hurt face and said, "That's not it, grumpy! Look closer." He pointed at it and tapped the ground impatiently.

Before the red-haired boy could shoot something back, Richard shushed him by continuing, "So, we haven't found a good place to camp and we haven't gathered food yet, right?" Now that I realized it, the squiggles looked like a clock, a tent, and a deformed fish...

We nodded, Jessica turning slightly red as she tried not to laugh. "Since we're almost reaching the second hour, we should split into duos and divide the objectives! It'll be easier to survive the hunters' too, since they won't be able to gang up on us!"

I let the information sink in. Everyone else was also silent.

If we placed Jessica and Antonio in one team...

"Oh? Not bad, smartass," Antonio teased. Jessica's face brightened once she agreed. Her positivity reinforced with a fist-pump.

Richard stared at me, probably waiting for an agreement. It was expectant, but _friendly_, something that was still absurdly new to me. I slowly nodded.

"Sweet! Since everyone agrees, Xin and I will be together and search for a good place to set up camp and you guys will go back to the lake we saw earlier and gather some food, okay?" He pointed to the two of them.

At that mention, both Antonio and Jessica were about to argue with him.

"Wait, why do I have to go with him?" She whined, pointing at him with a child-like expression.

Immediately, Antonio interjected, "Yeah! The two of us don't get along well, so you should change it!"

They agreed on something, surprisingly, but it was only to not agree with each other. I sighed internally, blinking slowly.

Richard stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants. He walked closer to them, then put his arms around their shoulders with an innocent smile. "C'mon, guys. You know I can't swim and Xin's great at tracking, so just pair up this once? Please? Do it for your bud, Richard, okay?" His grin widened and he looked like a kid trying to convince his parents.

I wanted to laugh. I'm glad he knew what needed to be done in order for us to work better.

Both of them sighed in defeat and nodded. Antonio replied, "Just this once! You owe me one."

With that, the two of them went on their way, trying to avoid eye contact. They acted like feuding friends, acting as if they were mad at each other with their arms crossed.

"Let's go!" Richard was unusually bubbly, but probably because his plan managed to work. A cocky smile spread on his face as he half-whistled.

I looked at him vaguely. "You...did it on purpose, right? To make them get to know each other better..."

He looked at me with surprise. Fake. "I did that?" He let out a small chuckle. "You're giving me too much credit, Xin! I'm just a lazy guy, and our jobs aren't too hard."

I knew he was lying. It was easy to see through it, I wasn't so naive.

He wasn't as immature as his actions I knew it for sure. I decided not to touch the matter again.

A few minutes later, we spotted a small cave-like area that we briefly stared at.

Something twisted in me. Weird memories started to surface, almost as if I were looking at a spread of photos of my past. I had slept in a cave like this, homeless, cold, hoping for someone to save me. No one had come.

I clenched my jaw. A burning house, my family's screams, the men that had come to take my mother and me away.

Unconsciously, my hands started trembling.

_"Not here, not here...I won't be weak! I won't..."_ I thought, shoving my hands into my jacket hurriedly. But when I looked back up, Richard was looking at me concernedly.

"Hey," he whispered, his voice low. He was close, his hands on my shoulders. Warmth. "Let's get out of here."

Steering me outside, I felt like a child. I felt _despicably small_. Like I couldn't do anything. My eyebrows creased.

"C'mon, don't look like that," he almost crooned. Now that we were out of the cave, my nerves slowly started to return. Richard didn't remove his hands. Instead, he was looking away, thankfully. Not at my face. Not at my shaking hands. Not judging me.

It was a while before he spoke again.

"I've noticed you've been looking pretty down for a while now." He glanced at me, but looked away. I laced my fingers together in an effort to stop the shivering.

"You know..." He whirled me to face him and grabbing my hands, earnestly looked me in the eye. Hazel eyes warm and worried. It made me uncomfortable. There was a burning in my stomach, something fluttering. I could only stare back at him, half confused and half tense. "You can count on me."

He squeezed my hands tighter. "I know you don't like to talk a lot, but if you ever do, I'm all ears. I'll support you, no matter what!"

Without missing a beat, an honest smile, _almost brutally honest_, spread over his face. It almost glowed. I averted my eyes. I didn't need his smiling. I didn't need any of his friendship, but he gave it to me anyway. _I didn't deserve it_.

Richard let go of my hands, but instead of turning away, he ruffled my hair lightly.

I looked up, almost startlingly, and he just laughed, closing his eyes happily. _An idiot_.

Silently, the two of us walked back toward our meeting point, but the two were nowhere to be seen.

However, there was a shadow up ahead. It was only one figure though, instead of two. However, the thing looked a little deformed, so it was possible one of them got hurt and the other was being carried.

"Is that...?" I pointed to the figure and Richard squinted.

"Maybe. It's too far, we should get closer," he commented, and moved to get closer.

I didn't even think. Instinctively, my hand shot out, but instead of grabbing his sleeve, my fingers curled around his wrist tightly, stopping him from moving. I blinked rapidly, surprised at my own body's actions. Richard's eyes were wide, staring at me in surprise, but it faded as he looked at me.

I quickly stared at the ground. "Thanks." I couldn't say anything more than that. I didn't know how. I released his hand and retracted from him, embarrassment burning on my face.

"No problem," he spoke softly, but it seemed like he was smiling.

When I looked up, I turned out to be right. Antonio's red hair and Jessica's blonde hair were clear as the male struggled to keep going.

We both rushed to help them. Once they saw us, Antonio almost collapsed, his face twisted with tired gratitude.

"W-What happened? You guys got attacked or something?" Richard asked. I scooped Jessica from Antonio's back and laid her down. There were bandages poorly wrapped around her ankle.

"Yeah, she defended me, but got hurt," Antonio answered, guilt written all over his face.

"At least you got his pin," I remarked quietly, staring at the shiny pin attached to Antonio's jacket.

They were starting to trust each other. At least that was the positive out of this.

We found a large, shady tree to rest under while I checked out Jessica's wound. It wasn't bad at all, just slightly swollen, which meant rest was all she needed. After a few hours, she would be okay.

Before I could tell the boys anything, my words were drowned out by the sound of thunder and cracking trees. A lightning bolt?

"W-What the hell? It hit the forest, look! There's smoke!" Richard shouted, jumping to his feet.

Antonio, on the other hand, was paralyzed in fear. His face quickly changed. Anger. "Fuck! This again? Guys, I'm gonna check it out!" Just like that, he took off sprinting as if there was no tomorrow.

Richard glanced at me. "Xin, do you mind taking care of Jessica? I have to go with grumpy before he does something crazy."

He didn't even wait for a reply. He just took off at the same speed as Antonio.

"W-What's going on?" Jessica sounded drowsy and disorientated and I knelt beside her.

"Lightning struck the forest, I think. Antonio ran off, and so did Richard. But you'll be fine with me around," I patted her arm and a faint smile appeared on her face.

"I just hope they don't do something reckless."

"Yeah."

**Aksel's POV**

Two hours had passed and our group hadn't gotten anything done.

The only thing we were doing now was chasing Cay around this huge forest.

The brown-haired military cut guy was probably the rudest guy in all the trainees and it was our misfortune that we got stuck in the same group as him.

Luckily for me, Alice and Emma were really cheerful and sociable, something that was a huge relief, especially with a grump like Cay.

We were all laid-back, unlike the other guy. Both of the girls were good friends already, and they shared the same goal of joining the Military Police within the walls. On the other hand, I wanted to join the Scouts to find my lost brother.

But Cay? We didn't know anything about him. When he opened his mouth, it was normally complaints or to boss us around.

Both of the girls were very bored, so they were chitchatting. I was just beside them, laughing at their conversation topics. A couple of steps ahead of us, I could see that Cay was already fuming.

He'd probably shout at the girls and another fight would start up. I always tried to pacify him, but with Cay, conflicts were bound to happen.

I approached the two girls and whispered, "Hey, try to keep it down...I don't want another fight, you know?" They both looked at me and nodded. But instead, they started to make fun of Cay, making funny faces and thinking up of jokes about him.

We all ended up bursting into laughter, much to Cay's anger.

He just shouted, "Cut it out, idiots! This isn't a picnic!" We sobered up immediately. He was right, even if he was an ass.

After a few minutes, we decided to try and grab some food. Cay ended up hunting some small mammals that somehow didn't run from humans. The three of us were trying to gather edible fruits, the safer option.

Suddenly, I heard a high-pitched scream, **"Help!"**

I looked around and noticed Emma was gone. _"So the person screaming must've been her!"_

Alice and I rushed to where the sound came from, to see Emma hanging in a tree branch, upside-down, her ankles tied by a rope.

"Damn! It was a trap! How are we gonna pull her down?" I muttered to myself, hoping that someone had a knife. It was impossible to scale the tree, so I had my fingers crossed that we brought a sharp object.

"G-Guys," she stammered. "Hurry up before a hunter appears...?" Her face was starting to look as red as a tomato. It must've been painful...

From behind us, I heard a sarcastic laugh. I turned around and saw Cay with a disdainful look on his face. "You guys really are terrible at this. Forget about her, let's go."

Alice quickly snarled at him, "Stop being a dick and help us get her out!"

Knowing him, he probably would've laughed and left, but her outburst against him got him riled up.

"You guys are _absolutely useless!_ I'm done with you failures and I'll survive by myself! See ya, losers!" Alice looked like she was about to punch him, so I grabbed her by the arms, bringing them behind her back. She flailed in my grip, calling out, "Damn you, bastard! Have fucking fun trying to survive by yourself! I hope those Garrison men find you and beat you to a pulp!"

I softly whispered, "C'mon, forget about him. We need to help Emma..."

She slowly calmed down and I released her.

But as much as we tried, we couldn't do anything. It was too high and the rope was too thick.

The familiar sound of 3DMG hooks and gas slowly followed and I couldn't help but feel the sinking feeling of failure. But maybe Alice and I could survive the exercise together.

I pushed Alice into a bush and quickly followed. With Emma still conscious, despite all the blood in her head, I motioned for her to stay quiet. Maybe the hunters would find Cay instead of us.

A couple meters away, I picked up some grunts and shouts. The hunter probably found Cay out. Suddenly, everything went silent.

The calm before the storm.

Then there were screams. Something cracked nearby and the sound waves vibrated through my jaw. My ears rang from the loud thunderclap and I watched as deer and rabbits fled in fear. The ground started to shake, but it slowly faded.

"W-What the hell was that?" I managed to say, trying not to panic. Alice was shaking from fear.

From where the fighting noises were, I noticed a lot of smoke. It smelled like burning. A fire must've started nearby.

The screams hadn't stopped though. Half of a corpse suddenly flew towards us. Despite all the blood, the Garrison symbol was faintly visible before he slammed into the ground face down.

Actually seeing a dead body was the real thing. I felt myself heaving, almost in third-person. I threw up and Alice was in shock, lying on the ground, curling into a ball, a silent tear running down her face.

Emma was in a similar predicament like Alice. She was trying really hard to untie the rope with her feet together.

A low roar came from the where the corpse flew from. The ground was shaking again. Something large was coming...

When I saw the large shadow, I stumbled backwards, my back smacking into a tree.

"N-No! **T-TITAN!**" I screamed._"This is the end, isn't it?"_


	12. TC Arc - 8 - Clash of Titans

**Surviving exercise – Part 3**

**Normal POV**

Within the giant forest, two Garrison members stood on a tree branch, overlooking their surroundings. They spotted the group of trainees they had been chasing, but in a moment, they disappeared into the deep vegetation of the forest, shielding them from the members' view.

"Can you see them?" One of them called out, and the other shook his head.

The man punched the huge tree trunk angrily. "I can't believe we lost them!"

"Hey wait..." the other muttered and then pointed. "That's one of them, right?"

On the ground, a brown-haired head walked from side to side, pacing, occasionally grabbing his head seemingly out of frustration. He was heading towards their current position and smiles spread over the two Garrison men's faces.

"This is gonna be easy. Let's gang up on him." Excitedly, the man took off, his 3DMG whizzing through the air. His partner soon followed, elation coursing through their veins.

As they got closer, his face became clearer. A little intimidating, with a military cut that only enforced that look, he was a lot taller than the other scrawny brats the Garrison had encountered before. He was biting his nails with a pissed-off expression, constantly mumbling something out loud.

"Those idiots! Damn them!" He angrily muttered. Turning, his eyes flicked upwards and he groaned with annoyance. "You guys? Really?"

Attempting to take the trainee by surprise, the shorter Garrison member charged at him directly with his fist held high in a punching form.

However, the muscular boy had no trouble blocking the older soldier's attack and countered with a punch in the ribs. But from behind, the other man was ready to strike the male out of commission. The stronger male held the younger trainee's arms behind his back, tackling him into the ground. The two struggled and the older male clearly had a hard time keeping the trainee down.

"Damn you! Let me go, bastards!" His face reddened as he shouted, struggling more.

"What a brat! Just admit defeat, you sore loser!" The guy pinning him down snarled with a cocky grin.

The trainee managed to free one of his bandaged arms and brought his hand closer to his mouth. Both males stared at his movements and noticed a tissue covering his index finger.

However, they just laughed. "Look at the crybaby chewing on his finger," one of them teased, raucous laughter ringing among the trees. "Do you want your Mommy to help you?"

"Heh," the trainee barked with amusement, his eyes shining with malice. "You won't be laughing for long, I promise."

The tissue broke, revealing bite marks and scabs hidden under the length of white cloth.

"You won't be forgetting Cay Endresen anytime soon!"

He bit his finger harshly, blood from the newly opened cut splashing over his face.

Too fast for a reaction, an intense light, paired with a sound akin to thunder, covered Cay's body. The soldier gripping Cay's arm was thrown back into a tree, the impact stunning him for a good while, while his partner was sprawled against the ground, shielding his eyes.

They missed Cay's body merging with a large skeleton that was quickly covered by clouds of hot steam that buffeted the prone men.

Both of them were in shock, frozen with fear, waiting for the scene to clear.

However, what greeted them was not in their favor.

20 meters of nightmares. 20 meters of flesh and bone and Titan.

Disproportionate in shape, it had muscular arms that hung down to its knees and high temperature heat shot out of its body. Its chest was larger than its head, with its jaw sealed by a bony structure that resembled a mask.

The titan let out a loud roar, throwing a huge left arm in the direction of the soldier against the tree.

**"Run!"** The other Garrison member screamed, before taking off, leaving his petrified comrade behind.

The ground shook with the impact of his fist against the ground. Dirt and uprooted trees flew everywhere, blood from the squashed soldier splattering against everything. Once he lifted his arm, the body of the man was unrecognizable; it was smashed into tiny little bits and bloodless, for the heat had evaporated the liquid almost instantly.

The titan turned towards the fleeing, stumbling soldier, his eyes gleaming.

It began the chase; its thumping feet making the trees shake and the ground feel unstable. The branches that it touched with his body melted or caught on fire the second they connected with its muscle-covered body.

The second it caught up to the unarmed soldier, it grabbed the man by the waist with a large hand, almost dwarfing the soldier entirely. He was brought closer to the titan's face and the man almost had a heart attack.

"N-No! Don't e-eat me!" The man screamed, but was cut short with the Titan squeezing its hand until it snapped the man's body in half.

With a satisfied glint in the light brown eyes, it tossed the man's corpse to the other side of the forest.

However, its bloodlust was not satisfied yet. The Titan meandered its way through the jungle, trying to remember the last spot it had spotted humans.

A few steps in the direction of the tossed corpse, it found two trainees, frozen, attempting to hide.

Aksel and Alice.

It roared and Aksel covered his ears, squeezing his eyes shut.

The titan reached down for him first, but at the last moment, Alice dashed towards him, shoving the male out of the Titan's hand. **"Aksel!"** She screamed, before being lifted through the air, her skin blistering from the heat.

Her act of compassion made the Titan even more furious as he clenched his fist around the black-haired girl's body and threw her against the nearest tree. There was no way she could've survived. Split in the middle, her intestines were spilling out and her bones had been shattered, several splitting her skin, causing blood to cover the tree trunk and her uniform.

Aksel watched in fear and shock as he witnessed the death of one of his teammates.

**"A-Alice!"**

Before he could run towards her, he could feel himself being lifted up and his leg sizzling. He screamed as his muscles were seared away, but before it could do more damage, another sound of thunder was heard, not far away from their location.

Aksel was unconscious from the pain and the Titan, deeming him uninteresting, dropped him onto the floor.

From behind the large titan, another one appeared.

Very different from the first, this one had the appearance of a female with long, brown hair with a leaner build. 16 meters of exposed muscle, she had a well-defined body with much denser legs.

She had the speed of a deviant-type and quickly bull rushed the male titan, tackling him to the ground, adding a strong punch to the head. Half of the male titan's face was knocked away, leaving the deformed titan stumbling backwards, almost falling down.

However, with a burst of steam, his regeneration kicked in and reformed his face. The Titan's eyes almost laughed at the futility of that punch.

The female Titan quickly adopted a fighting stance, bending her legs and raising her arms to her face.

He roared and blindly threw a fist out, but the female easily blocked his arm, the muscle on her body hardening into an ice-like appearance. Once she deflected his attack, she hardened her right leg and sent a powerful kick to his knees.

She easily broke his legs and he fell to the ground, his arms supporting his upper body without a struggle. However, he was completely open. She crystallized her fist and with a strong punch, she crushed her opponent's head.

His regeneration wasn't as fast this time, having taken so much damage. The steam couldn't regenerate his lost parts so fast, so she quickly ripped apart his neck, removing the body from the Titan's skeleton. Keeping him in her cupped hand, she took off running, before anyone could fight her. Or see her.

She wasn't lucky.

Hidden behind foliage, Antonio and Richard were hiding, relieved at not being noticed by the Titans.

"I-Is this what you meant by Titans having human intelligence...?!" Richard gasped out. "W-We just saw a Titan fighting another Titan...and what the hell was that at the end?!"

Antonio shook his head and replied, "I-I don't know...It happened way too fast..." He was silent for a moment, but added to the strangely silent air: "But I think...there was a person inside that Titan..."

It seemed almost impossible, but she did rip a small speck of something from the Titan's neck that resembled a limp body. Richard nodded somberly and answered, "I guess you're right. I think I saw that too, but I think we should keep this between us. If it's a false alarm, we would've scared a lot of people."

The red-haired male nodded, but before he could say anything else, his eyes caught a glimpse of a blonde head, matted with blood.

"H-Hey, look!"

The two trainees rushed towards the unconscious Aksel. Ragged pants wracked his body and his left leg was clearly unusable. The smell of roasted flesh hung around him and both males wrinkled their noses.

Antonio carefully picked him up and they made their way out of the forest that would soon be reduced to ashes, thanks to the wildfire.

A few minutes later, they met with Melda and her rescue squad.

"H-Hey, what happened?" Several soldiers attempted to ask, but Antonio and Richard were silent, staring at the floor of the wagon.

Sorrowful silence followed the three as they were transported to the main facility for medical care.

* * *

**Outside the wooden shed**

Later, deep at midnight, three cloaked figures stood outside the wooden shed, away from prying eyes.

"I thought you could sense other shifters…? What happened?!" One of the voices asked in an agitated tone.

"H-Hey, I'm sorry, okay? You know I can't fully control this ability without shifting, but at least I knew that I sensed more like us," a lower-pitched, feminine voice answered.

The first one grunted in disdain and said, "You know one of them is probably the _Coordinate_ that we're looking for, right? But now, one of them was captured or killed, and the female obviously has experience with her shifting form...! Fuck!"

A third voice finally intervened, trying to calm the others down. "C'mon, guys, let's not fight! We're already in a tough position. If we make a mistake, it'll be the end of us, so let's stay focused, okay? First, we'll try to identify the shifters and then wait for further orders."

At those words, the other two were silent, before nodding slightly. They knew that the smallest mistake could cost them their lives.

They all moved to head back inside before anyone noticed their absence. The dim, dim moonlight shined on the frowns on their lips.

Perhaps it was hard to be humanity's enemy.

* * *

**Scouting Legion Headquarters**

Emily Lantsov rushed through the halls with a worried expression on her face. She was small, with short, blonde hair, and dressed in the outfit of the Recon Corps.

When she reached her destination, the Commander's office, she left aside formalities and burst through the door. "Chief! We got a shifter situation!" She shouted agitatedly to the man who was sitting behind a small desk, paperwork spread in front of him.

Maxwell dropped his work and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

He motioned with a hand toward the door. "Close the door, Emily. What happened?" He leaned back in his hair and ran a hand through his hair.

Emily made her way to one of the empty seats in front of the desk, and from one of her pockets, removed a wrinkled letter.

"Here, read this. This letter was sent by my girl...apparently something big went down during a training exercise," the young woman said, breathlessly, after handing the Commander the letter.

The gray-haired man took a while to examine the letter, but after he finished, a proud smile appeared on his face.

"So, our predictions were right...There are more like her in the trainee squad, then." he let out a small, satisfied chuckle.

Emily nodded and added, "Yes, the shifter lost control during this exercise and she fought with him and captured him."

Maxwell got up quickly and grabbed his trench coat, replying, "All right, let's go see to him before he gets his limbs back. She left him at this coordinate, yes?" He pointed at the letter and she nodded, accompanying his side as they left his office.

"I'm glad she was able to act before he wiped out the entire squad. You trained her well."

The woman smiled, and she answered, "She turned out to be a good woman...only thanks to our early intervention when we rescued her.."

The commander let out a laugh. "She's just like you, someone who doesn't like to play in teams. I just hope she doesn't join the Military Police...that would ruin our plans."

She shook her head. "She's not like that, I know. Deep down, she cares deeply about her friends and us. She wouldn't have shifted if she didn't."

Maxwell was thoroughly convinced by the blonde-haired woman's words. He hoped that everything would go according to his plans.

Both of them hurried to the stable, greeting known faces as they passed. Mounting their horses, they galloped as fast as they could with their green cloaks fluttering in the wind.

* * *

**-One year later-**

**Antonio's POV**

A year has passed since that accident in the forest.

Today, we got a break from Melda in order to pay our respect for the fallen ones.

It was still early in the morning; the sun had barely risen in the sky, but I couldn't really tell if I was asleep or not.

Awful experiences flitted through my mind, all of them ones I had experienced first-hand. My parents, their deaths, the happy moments of our last supper together, before the fall of Wall Maria.

The last words of courage my mom said to me played in my head like a song I couldn't forget. _"I'll show you how strong your Mom is!"_ Her expression was just one of true despair.

Even though I couldn't have done anything better by staying, I still regret leaving behind my parents, knowing that they would die there.

That feeling gave birth to the memories of the hard farm labor. The days when people were treated like slaves and livestock. The days when we couldn't wait to die couldn't wait for the Titans to break through. I remember months of raw fish and crusty bread...

But suddenly, all of that began to recede, to fade away into my head. Fading, like the memories they were.

Food reminded me a little of Danika. Every week, she would come to visit me, bringing food, and for some hours, she would be my company.

She always showed me compassion after what happened. I thought she just pitied me, the red-haired boy she saved that lost his parents.

Turned out I was wrong. She _really_ cared about me.

I once confronted her, saying she didn't need to babysit me anymore and that I wouldn't need her pity. That day was when I received an eye opener.

She looked so sad, and so silent. She just dropped her head, but slapped me so hard it stung for days. I was so mad, but when I looked at her, she was crying. It was an absolute shocker. She was normally very calm and serious, but when I saw her tears, I knew how much I screwed up.

But before I could say anything, she just took off, crying, without saying a word. For two weeks, she just disappeared out of my life. I guessed she probably hated me and wouldn't care for such a stupid brat like myself.

Then, one day, she appeared at the fields again. A sad smile on her face and sad eyes. But I took the chance to redeem myself and apologized for the comment. I just didn't want to be a burden to her. I expected her to slap me again, or maybe just storm off. Something completely different than what I expected.

But she just hugged me. It was so rare. She hated human contact...

From a distance, I heard someone calling my name, a familiar voice, and a voice I knew too well.

"Grumpy! _Hey!_ Wake up! You're mumbling in your sleep!" From the upper bunk, Richard tried to wake me up, patting my face with his hand.

I groaned and batted his hand away from my face. "Geez, sorry, okay? Just go back to sleep, I need some air." With that, I swung my legs over the bunk, got up, and grabbed my coat.

He was looking at me with a blank expression and said, "I'm not the best person to tell you this, I know, but you _seriously_ need to move on now..."

That caught me off guard. I flinched slightly but replied, "Don't worry. I'm gonna need your help later, smart-ass."

Thankfully, he decided to let it go.

I left the cabin, hoping that the morning air would help me forget those painful memories.

* * *

When I got outside, I was surprised. Danika was already up, picking up and hanging some washed laundry.

She was dressed casually: a white, long-sleeved shirt, her blue skirt hemmed with white that went down to her ankles, with a matching blue scarf around her neck.

Next to her, I spotted Atlas. The little furball was always so quiet and relaxed around her.

Once I got closer, I realized she was singing. Her voice was carried on the wind, towards me, and she sounded so happy. It was the first time I had ever heard her sing. Once, she had teased me by saying how good she was at singing, but never had other people listening in on her.

I thought it was a lie, since she caught me singing one time, but after hearing it...She was telling the truth.

Without noticing, I just stood there, watching her with a smile on my face. It was so natural to just watch her move around so domestically...

Suddenly, the voice stopped, and her stricter voice shouted, "It's not cool to peek on a young woman, Antonio! Someone might take you as a perverted teenager!"

I jumped up in embarrassment. I could feel my face heating up and I imagined I looked as red as a tomato. "I-I wasn't peeking, I swear, D-Dani! I mean, k-kinda, but you looked really happy, so I couldn't possibly interrupt you," I stammered awkwardly, hoping she wouldn't be mad.

She just laughed at my reaction. My cheeks were burning. But then, with a more concerned look, she asked, "What are you doing so early on your day off?"

I avoided looking at her face and answered, "Nothing really...Just couldn't sleep." I didn't want her to know the truth since she would start worrying again if I said I had nightmares from time to time.

However, she just raised an eyebrow and approached me. She tried to look me in the eye, but I kept avoiding her, which was a signal bell ringing that I was lying. I should've looked at her. Danika gave me a friendly pat on the head. "You're lying, I know. Do you still have those nightmares?"

I should've known I couldn't hide anything from her.

I just nodded.

"Don't worry, I'm okay now," I murmured, and she gave me a doubtful look. Pushing me forward, she replied, "Alright, then make me company by taking breakfast. You also need to feed Atlas; he's probably starving."

At the mention of his name, Atlas suddenly jumped up, spinning around while wagging his tail excitedly.

I couldn't help but smile at his antics.

It somehow felt like home.

* * *

A couple hours later, I returned to my dorm room.

But Richard was still fast asleep.

Not even the sound of the door slamming made him stir.

I face-palmed. He was the laziest dude I had ever met. He would probably sleep all day if no one dragged him out of bed. Literally. If Xin, Jessica, and I didn't wake him up every day, he would be late every time for training.

I grabbed my pillow and threw it at his face. "Wake up, dude! It's almost lunchtime!" I shouted.

Quickly, he got up, jumping out of his bunk agitatedly.

"Shoot! Why didn't you wake me up?! Melda's gonna make me run all day at this rate!" He shouted in despair, his dazed eyes telling me he was still half-asleep. His fumbling hands tried to button up his uniform, but stopped when he heard me bursting into laughter. He was so sleepy he didn't realize it was our day off.

"Calm down, we have the day off today, remember? It's been a year."

Richard sighed in relief, jumping back onto his bunk. "Ahhh, thank God! I won't need to run...Oh man, it's been a year, already...?" His voice was nostalgic and almost rueful.

We decided to keep our mouths shut about what we had seen and so far, we were doing a good job.

The two of us stayed quiet for a while, remembering what we had seen.

"Uh, so," I tried to change the subject. "I need your help with something, so get up!"

He made a glum face and said, "No way, man! I'm gonna rest a little longer." With that, he threw himself back onto the bed, his eyes already fluttering shut.

I glared at him and without saying a word, pushed his mattress onto the floor, making him roll onto the cold, hard ground.

"Aaack!" He yelped. "C'mon, lemme rest in on my day off, geez!" He yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes.

I whispered lowly, "I need help with something, okay...?"

"Help with what?" He eyed me weirdly.

"You're good with art stuff, right? I need you to teach me to make something for...someone," I hesitantly said. I wanted to hide my intentions to avoid his annoying teasing, but I was way too obvious.

A stupid, teasing smirk spread on his face. "Ohh, a girlfriend? Way to go, buddy!" He slapped my back cheerfully.

I pushed him away and glared at him again. "Richard, stop! It's for Danika, geez. I wanted to thank her for all she did for me."

If even possible, his smirk grew bigger. His eyebrow raised slowly as he spoke, "Hmmm, so that's why you didn't show any interest in one of the trainees...You like 'em older!" His voice grew louder and slammed his fist on his open palm. If it were a cartoon, I would've seen a light bulb go on over his head. Then, in a sudden burst, he began to laugh loudly.

I started to blush at his words. "N-No, that's not it! She's like a sister, alright? I don't see her that way!"

Richard looked me in the eye and gave another laugh. "Yeah, right! You know, I have a sister and I don't look at her the way you look at Danika."

I was speechless, unable to deny anything he said, and he knew it.

I just pressed my lips together and withstood all of his laughter.

When his laughing fit ended, he straightened up and said, "Okay, okay, I'll help you. What'd you have in mind?"

I tapped my chin for a second, trying to choose between the ideas floating in my head. "You're good at origami, right?" I asked him and he nodded. "I need you to teach me how to make something that looks like a bird! She looks at the sky a lot, so I think she'll like it..."

He scratched the back of his head, before hesitantly replying, "Yeah, it's easy, even for a beginner, but there's one problem...We don't really have clean paper, huh? Our books are all scribbled-on and stuff."

He was right...If we used those papers, it would honestly look awful.

Suddenly, a knock interrupted us. "It's Jeorge! Can I come in?"

"Sure," Richard tossed and the door opened, revealing a fully dressed Jeorge.

He waved, then called, "Ey, Rich, Antonio, I really need your help! Cain's birthday is coming up and I was thinking of buying something cool for him. I don't think I have enough money to cover the expenses, though..." He looked at us with a worried expression.

I stood up and grabbed my wallet. "Yeah, I'll try to help, but I don't have a lot either."

Richard, who was lying on the bunk, piped up, "Hey, if money's the problem, I'll cover it." He stood up and from one of the drawers, pulled out his own wallet. Compared to ours, his was bulging. He was lucky to have a rich family...

However, Jeorge instantly reacted to what he said. "N-No way! It wouldn't be fair if you paid for all of it!" I nodded, despite knowing he had a lot of money.

He let out a bark of a laugh and said, "Alright, I'll only _help_ you with the expenses, then. Anyway, Antonio and I'll be going to the nearest town, so you should tag along too."

Jeorge's face lit up like a bulb. "Okay! I'll meet you guys outside in... ten minutes. Oh yeah, Asta, Rose, and Elisa will be tagging along too, if you don't mind."

"No problem," the two of us said in unison, and he left the room, humming and bouncing.

I looked at Richard. "What about you? What about _those two_?"

He jumped in surprise at my question, but acted like he didn't know what I was talking about. He scratched his head sheepishly. "I don't know what you're talking about...?" He said vaguely, not meeting my gaze.

I sent him a glare and said, "You know pretty well what I'm talking about. You and Xin, you and Jessica, you guys all act weird with each other."

He gave me a funny look and a nervous laugh. "Haha, you're just teasing me back or imagining stuff. They're just my friends, so there's no way they'd look at me like _that..._"

This time, I laughed. "Richard, buddy, how can you be so blind?! Even though I don't understand a lot about girls, I noticed it. You just don't want to choose one because it would hurt everyone involved."

He sighed in defeat. "Maybe you're right...but that won't change anything. They're too important for me to choose just one, and I'd probably ruin our friendship if I tried to further our relationship...so I'd rather have both as friends, rather than losing one, or losing both."

I couldn't console him. Speechless. He was right, honestly, and to tease him with this glum face wasn't very fun. It would be strange seeing them mad at each other and I didn't want to imagine it. They were always together, anyway.

After an awkward silence, I decided to head out to the meeting point. Richard, who was finally dressed, followed me. "I'm gonna ask Xin and Jess if they wanna tag along with us. Wait for me, okay?"

I laughed again. He couldn't stay away from both of his best friends.

He fumed and shouted at me, "That's not funny, alright? Stop laughing or else I won't help you!"

I didn't stop and, he ended up helping me anyway.

* * *

A few hours of walking around the town, the group of friends was able to forget about the tragedy of losing their friends. Fun memories were created that day and thankfully, Richard was able to distract Cain, so that Jeorge could buy a birthday present for him.

Later, he revealed that it was a silver bracelet, intricate and something Cain would love to wear.

At the end of the day, the trainee squad headed for the church to pay their respects to the friends that died that fateful day...


	13. TC Arc - 9 - The Final Stretch

**Jeorge's POV**

I never liked churches.

They always seemed so depressing.

The only time I ever went to one was because someone had died. In this case, more than just one person died.

"They...they didn't deserve to die," Antonio murmured, looking up at the stained glass at the front of the church. Richard was silent, his face unsmiling as he looked at the ground solemnly.

"Nobody deserves a death like that," I added. "But...it's what happens. It happened before and it'll happen again..."

The others flinched at my words and I looked back at the ground. It was something that had to be thought about.

Richard turned his head towards me with the words, "I hope you're wrong, Jeorge."

I grabbed the end of my necklace gently. A small, white crystal. The only thing I had to remember... I let go of it and replied, "Hope. That's a word I live with every day."

Asta waved over at us, "We're, uh...Gonna wait outside."

Rose and Elisa nodded. The three of them made their way out.

Antonio looked up, "We came here to pay our respects, so...let's just do that and go. We shouldn't bring back old memories."

I nodded. Both of us were at Shiganshina and we had lost people we loved there. He was right; old memories surfacing would only give us more pain and sorrow, and lead us closer to death. I bowed my head and then stepped forward.

The altar was decorated. There weren't pictures of faces; who would remember the faces when their bodies were mangled?

_"Are you guys up there?"_ I thought with a rueful smile. _"Because if you are, and if you can hear me...You didn't die for nothing. We won't forget you, and we'll survive in your stead. I promise, you won't be forgotten."_

I turned back to Richard and Antonio. "Okay."

The brown-haired boy managed a crooked, sad smile. "Cool. Let's get out of here before grumpy starts to get teary-eyed. He doesn't want to ruin his reputation in front of-"

Antonio glared at him and he shut up. I just shook my head with a smile. They were always teasing each other. "Oh, you two," I laughed and walked past them to the entrance.

"W-What's that supposed to mean?!" Antonio yelled after me.

I chuckled. "Come on, we don't want to keep the others waiting."

"Wait, seriously! What does that mean?" Richard yelled back.

* * *

**Military Police Headquarters**

A man dressed in a Military Police outfit made his way through the entrance of the Military Police headquarters. By the direction of his quick walking, he was heading towards the office of Liese Amsel, the head of the MP.

She was the youngest to ever reach the position of Commander, at age 25, as well as the first female. Twelve years of being under one branch finally gave its reward to her, but for that time, she had been trying to rehabilitate the corrupted ways of her sector. However, the system had not been able to be bent by her hands; many of its officers were still abusing their powers.

The man scrunched his eyebrows. The past few "missions" he had been on were simple ones: find the corrupt officer and bring him or her to the Scouts.

Liese was working in secret to flush out the corrupt in the Military Police. The punishment for those that refused to comply with the new rules joined the Scouting Legion for two weeks for some "special training."

Then, the man paused, scratching his brown military-cut hair, before knocking on the door.

His hazel eyes gleamed as a half-smile spread on his face. "Excuse me, Lie, may I?"

"Come in!" A female voice answered brightly.

Upon first look, Liese's skin, although her back was to the window, was very, very pale, but matched her white-blonde hair, cut so that it reached the top of her neck.

She was dressed in a normal Military Police outfit, but a purple medallion hung around her neck told people of her position. Her eyes were still scanning the paper in front of her and she still hadn't looked up at her guest.

Seeing this chance, the man stared at her with an enamored look, waiting for her to speak.

"Lutz! You probably know why I've called you here, right?" The blonde woman asked, finally shifting the paperwork to the side.

Breaking out of his trance, Lutz nodded and said, "Of course, Lie. You want me to observe the trainees that deserve to join us, right?"

With her usual, easygoing smile, she nodded. "Yes, it's getting closer to their last year of training, so I need you to get good information about the 104th Trainee Squad." She then exhaled loudly, almost deflating in front of him.

Lutz noticed something was bugging her, despite her smile. "What's wrong, Lie?" He asked concernedly.

She waved her hand sheepishly and replied, "Nothing much...I'm just bothered that, once again, most of the Top 10 trainees want to join the Scouts."

Lutz nodded and she continued. "One of the twins, Kai, has informed me that Max is already counting on the best trainees to join the Scouts. I think that's just a waste of lives, since they haven't achieved anything so far; all they have in their favor, really, are their tactical skills and dedication."

The man nodded. He always stood by her opinion without question. Her point of view was always a big influence over him; whatever she said, he believed.

"Don't worry about it, Lie. As usual, I'll watch the trainees and evaluate their performance, along with asking the other instructors on what they think. I'll bring to you a list of ten trainees that deserve to be a part of this esteemed sector." He bowed respectfully.

Liese's forced posture softened slightly, before chuckling. "C'mon, Lutz! You don't have to be so formal! But, I'm glad I can count on you. As fast as possible, okay?"

He nodded. "I'll join them this week...and, you know, you can always count on me, Liese." His eyes were glowing with happiness, which, if she noticed, she ignored.

She only cared about her career, after all.

With that, he left and prepared to join the 104th Trainees' Squad. He had a lot of information to gather and very little time.

* * *

**-A few months later-**

**Normal POV**

The 104th Trainees' Squad was now two months away from their graduation.

Compared to the initial numbers of inscriptions, the numbers of trainees that now remained were quite lower.

With all that happened, including the normal injuries suffered during training sessions, and the ones who quit due to fear or lack of motivation, the southern squad only had around 230 members.

It was not a bad number, but it was lower than the estimated graduated number.

Training had gotten a lot lighter now that they were in the last stretches of their camp.

For that reason, Melda decided to go easy on them, so for the past weeks, they had been training their horse-riding skills, as well as small hand-to-hand training competitions. Of course, paired with some laps so that they wouldn't lose their healthy, muscled forms.

However, they still had to wake up early. Despite being early in the morning, that didn't stop Antonio from fuming at his sleepy best friend.

"Richard! Get up! Or else I'm gonna leave you here!" He shouted as he pulled on his jacket.

The brown-haired male showed no signs of getting up, though. He just rolled to the other side and put his pillow over his head to make it more comfortable. "Just a little longer..." He whined, muffled by the pillow.

Antonio sighed in annoyance and gave up on getting his friend up. "Alright, suit yourself, Sleeping Beauty! I'm leaving. Atlas, you gotta stay in here, buddy." He patted the white husky that was a lot more ready than Richard to go outside.

Before he left, someone knocked. "Hey, it's me, Xin. You'd better hurry up or no breakfast for both of you." she said, slightly concerned.

The redhead's face went pale at the mention. "How am I supposed to endure three hours of horse riding with an empty stomach?!" He mumbled, very annoyed.

He flung the door open and pointed to Richard's bunk. "It's his fault we're late! I didn't sign up to be in this group with him, so I'll leave him to you!" The Asian girl was left in the dust as he simply fled towards the cafeteria, but she just shook her head and entered the room.

She cracked her knuckles and grinned at the pile in the bed.

* * *

**Antonio's POV**

After eating my breakfast, we were all making our way outside, waiting for Melda to explain our training session.

I was hoping it wasn't horse riding. The last lessons of that were terrible and my fear of horses got in the way of the actual "riding" part.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Melda heading her way towards us, her usual grumpy expression madder today.

"What are you doing, maggots?! Line up, and fast!" She shouted and everyone tensed up, getting into formation in record time.

She looked around and by the look on her face, noticed some missing trainees.

Melda muttered something, but I couldn't make out what she said. However, at her scream of, "Maggots!" we all jumped. "Today, you're going to have another horse riding lesson, but this time, you'll have our assistant's support, since some of you are wusses and are afraid of horses!"

I looked around and I could only spot Jessica in the formation. Xin and Richard were still nowhere to be seen.

_"Damn, probably should have tried to waking up that idiot."_ I thought to myself as I started to feel a bit guilty that I had just got angry at him and left him to Xin.

Once again, Melda's loud voice brought me back to reality, "C'mon, move, you slackers! Head to the stables, where assistants will be waiting to help each group!"

I started to walk towards the meeting point, rushing a bit to catch up with Jessica.

The blonde haired looked around with a rather worried expression and asked, "Did Richard overslept again?"

I nodded, "Yeah, Xin stayed to help him, you know how he is." To my answer, she only giggled.

* * *

Reaching the stables, I saw Danika there where our group horses were, tapping her foot on the floor impatiently.

"Where the hell have you been guys? And where's Xin and Richard?" She asked us, sighing in annoyance.

"W-Well, he probably overslept and Xin is trying to wake him up... Please don't tell Melda." I begged her. To be honest, hopefully this would make up for my mistake of leaving both of them behind.

"You guys are lucky that I was the one assigned to your group," she said, shaking her head, but once she looked up, her expression brightened. "Oh! There they are."

The two of them rushed into the stables, panting hard. However, I noticed they were redder in the face than they should've been and there was more of a distance between them than usual. I put that aside to ask Richard later.

Before Richard could explain what happened, Danika cut him off. "C'mon guys, get your horses and let's go." she said as she led the way, pulling behind her trusty stallion.

I quickly caught the leash of my horse, feeling a drop of sweat roll down my face. I was already nervous and I was still on ground. _"Calm down! At least this time I have Danika helping."_ I thought to myself trying to cheer myself up.

Minutes later, I was already mounted on the horse. I couldn't even remember how I got there in the first place. I felt like I would throw up at any time.

Despite horse riding several times, I was still sweating a lot. No matter what someone else said, this was definitely the worst training component out of the entire camp, all because in my childhood, I had a traumatizing experience with a horse.

The animal lost its focus and I was thrown off his back, crashing into the ground.

Luckily for me, I didn't suffer any serious injuries but ever since that day, I feared equestrians with a fury.

But I also knew that I needed to learn how to ride one decently, since they were the basic transport for Scouts.

We started by doing some basic circular moves in a wide area that was usually used for our hand-to-hand combat training.

I couldn't tell if I was moving or not since I was so dizzy.

Suddenly, I felt a strong grip on my left shoulder. I looked and found out that was Danika that was on my side with a kind smile on her face.

"C'mon Antonio, you can do it! Now just try to gallop a little faster and you'll see that you will start to feel less dizzy." she said, trying to encourage me.

She quickly grabbed my hand and said, "C'mon, follow my lead." With that she started to raise her speed a little faster and I unconsciously followed her twisting the reins to speed the horse up. In that moment, so caught up with seeing her blonde hair streaming back and the vibrant smile on her face, I forgot my fear, if only just a moment.

From behind us I heard a familiar voice whine in protest, "Tch! Lucky you, Antonio! I also wanted some private lessons." he teased, his signature cocky smirk.

In that second, I felt Danika's hand leaving mine at an astonishing speed. I looked at her and I noticed that she looked somewhat mad... or was it embarrassed? I couldn't figure out since she turned her head to the side, avoiding my gaze.

Letting out a sardonic chuckle, Danika bit back, "Ooh, I see! I can get you that Richard… Since you're not that good on a horse, I could probably ask your girlfriends to help you out." She said slowing down and getting closer to Richard, elbowing him in his ribs while sending him a serious glare.

With this, Richard's face heated up so quickly that he was looked like a tomato. _"She's good."_ I thought as I saw how quickly she managed to shut him up.

"N-No, t-there's no need for it! I was just kidding, Assistant Danika, forgive me." He replied awkwardly, snapping his reins to ride faster. He didn't make eye contact and I started to laugh.

The most fun part was that the girls behind us were really confused.

To be honest, I think having these fun times made me more comfortable at riding horses.

With the next few lessons, along with Danika's help, I became a lot more decent at it. Occasionally, I would still feel nervous, but at least I learned how to control that fear.

* * *

**Richard's POV**

It was late in the night, but I was still awake, writing a letter to my family. I hadn't sent them one in the previous week, but that was because I'm, to be honest, terrible with words, especially sentimental stuff.

I missed my family a lot, especially my mother and my little sister, but still couldn't find the right words to write them a letter.

But today was different; I finally came up with something decent to send them. I mostly talked about some crazy stuff that had happened to me and my friends and the usual sentimental words that, once I reread it, seemed like I wouldn't see them again.

And that was why I hesitated writing these letters.

It wasn't like I was going to die anytime soon. I had confidence in my skills and I knew I could survive at least one expedition, but I didn't want to worry them. Without me, they probably felt a little apprehensive at home.

Finally finishing it, I put the hand-written letter inside an envelope, writing on the envelope my address.

In the lower bunk, Antonio was watching me weirdly, clearly curious.

"Is that a love letter for one of those two?" He asked, teasing me about my pseudo love life.

I sighed in annoyance and decided to make fun of him. "No... It's actually a love letter for Danika. Oh, that blonde hair and the way she beat me up that time in the practice." I swooned along with my words.

Of course, I only said that to tease him. I had no interest in Dani. She was a good woman, a strong and beautiful one, too, but I only saw her as a sort of mentor, since she was so badass.

As I suspected, this made him get really mad at me. He was already death-glaring me and he even threw his pillow at my head. "Not funny! Don't you dare!" He hissed.

I couldn't help but let out a laugh. Despite his denial of having any feelings for her, it was pretty obvious, at least for me. "Relax buddy! I was just kidding. I wouldn't steal your girl." I replied, winking at him.

He turned his head to the side, but I thought I saw him blush. "So, what's that jerk?" He muttered, finally asking.

"It's a letter for my family. I'm going to put it in the main barracks so it'll get there by tomorrow."

He looked at me and raised his eyebrow, "Why now? Can't it wait for tomorrow?"

I sighed in annoyance and thrown his pillow back at him. "Of course not, grumpy! Tomorrow morning, they come to collect the mail! I know you're going to miss me, buddy." I said teasing him as I walked to the door.

"Tch. Hopefully you won't come back." He shot back.

* * *

Outside, it was cold, and I wished I brought my jacket with me.

After reaching the main barracks, I saw two shadows inside the building, talking near the doorway. However, they didn't look like instructors or trainees. Instead of jackets, they wore some loose robes.

I instinctively crouched near the stairs and tried not to be seen and, at the same time, listen in on their conversation.

"It seems like she maintained her part of the deal." one of the voices said.

"Yeah, it seems that she intends to join the Scouts, but I think it's still too risky to let her roam free. They should have killed her that night." the other answered.

Suddenly, I heard the door opening. They were above me, making their way down stairs to leave the barracks.

"I know it's risky, but as long as she doesn't reclaim her right as heir, everything will be okay... Either way, she'll probably end up dead in the Scouting Legion." The first voice said, letting out a sadistic chuckle.

The other one joined him in laughter. "Heh! You're right! A bastard daughter like her could never mess up our plans. Now, let's just get out of here before someone notices us."

With that, they quickly rushed towards the trees and disappeared out of sight.

However, by then, I realized the robes were from the members of the Wall Cult.

_"Those religious maniacs, I knew they always seemed fishy. What are they plotting?"_ I thought to myself as I entered the barracks and put my letter in the mail box.

I was still curious, so I decided to find out what they were doing inside the barracks.

Snooping around the shelves, I noticed a small picture on the floor, near one of the file cabinets.

It was from the trainee sheet and I recognized that face. My eyes widened as I crouched, picking the picture up. "I see...She always acted weird anyway." I whispered to myself.

I slipped the picture back into the trainee files and hurried back outside, hoping no one noticed me.

_"They're pretty stupid, leaving those private information files out to the public..."_ I thought. _"What the hell are the Military Police doing?"_

But, shaking my head, I couldn't think about something like that. "I have to protect her from those crazy bastards!"

* * *

**Danika's POV**

I can't believe almost three years have passed already. Those trainees are going to be grownups soon. Full-time soldiers, even.

I would never think I would say this, but I actually enjoyed the time I've spent with them.

I've even gotten attached to them and to be honest, being out of the battlefield helped the wounds scab up.

The stress of losing so many good comrades, friends and with the pressure of being considered as Humanity's Greatest Weapon was just too much for me to handle now. Until the day I lost my entire squad, as well as the person I could call rival. Felix. He was the second best soldier.

He came to save me, and save himself, but instead, he died in my place. That surprise attack killed _everyone_.

Before that horrible mission as captain, everything was always smooth in my career. My dream of being able to live freely outside the walls seemed so possible.

But I slapped my cheeks, trying to focus on my current task. _"C'mon Dani, there's no time for nostalgia. You have to finish the reports."_

I removed my notebook from my drawer, getting ready to finish up my evaluations.

Chief Maxwell asked me to grade the trainees, to make Melda's job easier. She needed to pick the Top 10, which was always hard.

However, I procrastinated a bit. It was hard for me to evaluate some, since all of them were so different, but each with their own individual talents.

I sighed, muttering, "Damn, should've done this sooner...They'll be graduating in a few weeks..."

I looked at my scribbled notes and I noticed that I hadn't made a report about sixteen trainees. I had a hard time coming up with a good way to distinguish their evaluation, because, in my opinion, those kids were the strongest in this squad.

I removed a small notebook from another drawer. I scribbled my various notes of them here, throughout the three years of training.

_"Emma Muller,"_ I read. _"One of the smaller, as well as younger trainees in the squad. She was always light-hearted and with a comforting smile on her face. She can't keep her focus, but is a natural 3DMG user. Very agile and along with her small body, she's fast and good at combat."_

_"Alina Adler, the tomboy. Amazing athletic skills and Melda's nickname for her, Monkey Girl, fits perfectly. Ace at everything involving climbing, that transferred to her 3DMG use. Her balance, agility, and speed are almost unrivaled and paired with her climbing skills, using the 3DMG is almost like breathing for her. However, her theory and thinking are lacking, and her fear of water hinders her progress. However, her horse-riding is definitely above average."_

_"Samuel Windle." _At that name, a small smile surfaced on my face. He improved in these three years. _"A shy boy, but very dedicated. His caring personality fits his team support style. He has great skill in medical treatment. The tiniest boy in the squad, his build makes him agile and well-equipped to use the 3DMG, increasing his uses as a medic. However, he's also fragile and cowardly. Big animals scare him, but over time, he has overcome these fears."_

_"Kaspar Bauer, one of the strongest trainees. With a muscular body, he's very powerful at hand-to-hand combat. However, he relies on brute force so he is easily predictable. With that, his strategy and theory is lacking. However, his 3DMG is proficient and changing direction and sharp turns are a piece of cake for him."_

_"Alberto Mejia, a balance of everyone. At theory, he had amazing confidence and will with that, something not many people had the patience or skill to do so with. Sometimes his laziness and ignorance gets in the way, and because of his pride, he cannot admit mistakes or follow another's orders."_

Next, I shuffled through several others. However, two trainees came up in one note together: Jeorge Adalia and Cain Murrik.

_"They are the best duo in the trainee squad, possibly out of all the squads I've seen. When together, they both have each other's back like brothers. Jeorge is larger than Cain by a lot and is more decisive than his friend. However, Cain out-speeds Jeorge by a large margin. Jeorge puts his comrades before himself, while Cain is rather carefree and hyperactive. In an actual battle, this co-dependence actually might cause both of their deaths."_

The female trio was next.

_"Asta last name redacted is a natural at fighting. Amazing martial arts and fast legs combine to create a unique individual. However, horse-riding is not a strong suit."_

_"Elisa Peters, headstrong and somewhat reckless. By far, the most resilient out of all the trainees, her strong will and ornery attitude are her strong points. However, her ability to take orders and work in a team are lacking severely. However, her recklessness swings well in tight situations. Skilled at 3DMG, but that carelessness may prove a problem in an expedition."_

Flipping to the last, I got to the pink-haired girl of the squad. So far, she was the strongest trainee out of all of them.

_"Rosaline Nash, quick on her feet and quick-of-mind. High in strength, speed, and stamina, by far the wisest and strongest of the trainees. In official training tournaments, she wins almost every time, on par with Xin. However, she's emotionally unstable, fluctuating easily between sadness and excitable. Too attached to Elisa."_

Next was an interesting one.

_"Emelia Orr, the renegade daughter of noble origin. Despite her lady-like, shy appearance, on the inside, she's a force to be reckoned with. A natural at hand-to-hand combat, 3DMG handling, and horse-riding, the only thing holding her back is her inability to control her reckless, sadistic behavior in battle."_

_"Iosif Blanchett, the brute force of the squad. By far the tallest ever seen, he has great fighting skill and after overpowering his fear of heights, has become a good 3DMG user. Decent in every way, only his concentration lacks. Easily distracted by small things."_

On the last page, a sense of pride really flushed over me. Only four left. They worked as a group, all together, and in my opinion, they were the tightest knit and the strongest I've ever seen. Probably even better than some of the squads in the Legion.

My eyes scanned over the first. _"Jessica..."_

_"Improved a major amount. Started lazy and cowardly, but when paired with the three, overcame her flaws and became much better, more than I anticipated. Not the best in fighting, but her agility and ability to maneuver with her 3DMG, as well as her phenomenal teamwork compensates for her flaws. Also, side note, an amazing speaker with a huge heart; although naive, her words can make a difference in soldiers' morale."_

_"Xin Tien, what I thought was your standard loner-type with the eyes of a killer. However, it seems I was wrong. Sticking her in this team was the right choice, as she opened up slightly. One of the strongest and smartest soldiers in the squad, her only flaw that keeps her underneath Rosaline is the fact that her balance with the 3DMG is not as good as hers. Her martial arts skills are amazing, almost as if she were dancing among her enemies. I can tell she notices the weak points of her enemies and uses it to her advantage. She has superb agility and unusual body strength for a girl. An aura that commands people to notice her."_

I ground my teeth slightly at the next name once I flipped past the two girls.

_"Richard Krieg, a boy that annoys everyone to no end. Lots of potential, but no intention in taking the camp seriously. A natural at almost everything, although not excelling, he constantly degrades himself and acts modest so as to not incite the fury of other trainees. A smart, strategic boy, with a sense that made people want to follow him. Both good at hand-to-hand combat and using the 3DMG. However, his laidback attitude and pride will be his downfall, but other than that, he reminds me of a more lax Chief Maxwell, for some reason."_

I quickly flipped to the last page. Perhaps the best for last was what I was thinking of because his name popped up and I couldn't withhold the proud smile on my face. He was once a child, but now, he was quickly forming into a grown soldier capable of fighting side-by-side with me.

_"He's grown so much."_ I thought as I gazed at the small origami crane he offered me months ago.

I quickly shook my head, clearing my head of my silly thoughts and kept reading his evaluation.

_"Antonio Rodrigues, one of the best 3DMG users in the trainee squad. Great efficiency using his blades during Titan training. A good fighter, but lacking technique. Similarly, his strategy skills are faulty and his fear of horses bring his value down. However, his will to avenge his family makes him almost unstoppable, but it's a two-edged sword. If he doesn't cool his head, he'll be dead meat in an expedition..."_

I clenched my left fist unconsciously. I would make sure Antonio wouldn't die, especially if he was in my squad. He wouldn't let himself die anyway; he had changed, a lot. Mentally and physically... I pinched my arm to get rid of all these impure thoughts.

_"What the hell, Dani? Stop thinking about him like that. It's creepy...he's like my brother."_ I thought with a cringe. I continued reading.

_"Good at teamwork, as well as reading the emotions of others. He's also a caring, loving person that puts his comrades above his own safety..."_

I jolted up in my seat. "What the heck, I can't send this to Chief!" I yelped, and then quickly scribbled over the sentence.

I sighed and leaned back in my seat, staring at the blank ceiling. I decided to end my evaluations for today; since the only thing floating in my mind was the red-haired kid I saved.

Did I regret it? Not really, but maybe later I would. I got up, pulling my jacket off the chair with me.

I needed to catch some fresh air.


	14. TR Arc - 1 - Graduation

****A/N: Hey guys, I'm back and I was finally able to release the first chapter of the Trost Arc.  
As I said before on the previous A/N, I had some trouble with the beta reading stuff, but now I think that I'll be able to continue the story.  
****

****A special thanks for all of you guys for not dropping the story and for those who helped me personally.  
****

****The story suffered some edits along these weeks (mainly grammar) and I ended up reposting every chapter. I also started to work on the OC list so that I can release more detail about them; since I know that it's hard for you to keep track of so many created chars. I've also done some fanart for the main chars that maybe I'll end up posting.****

* * *

**Trost Arc**

* * *

**-Last week-**

**Normal POV**

The last week of training had finally arrived for the trainees of the 104th Squad.

Exhaustion was starting to show every day that passed, mostly because everyone that survived the training was so excited to finally graduate and become a soldier.

As the trainees finished their breakfast and started to head towards the meeting place, a muscular tanned woman was making her way into to meet with her squad of "maggots".

A proud smile was visible in her face, _"Those tiny maggots did it. This squad was surely surprising, with so many gifted kids." _she thought to herself.

Arriving at the meeting place, the old veteran of the Scouting Legion sighed in annoyance.

She was strong and really determined, she even killed 20 Titans on her on and 12 with her old squad, but yet she couldn't keep these brats under control.

Changing her proud expression, she started fuming, realizing who was behind the ruckus.

She quickly looked and spotted the usual troublemakers of the Squad: Richard, Jessica and Cain.

These three together were able to attract everyone's attention with their silly personalities and then, of course everyone would lose focus and the Squad would once again look just like a bunch of normal kids.

Not noticing her yet, the trainees continued with her chitchat, making Melda even madder.

She cleared her throat and suddenly shouted, "**ATTENTION!**"

The distracted trainees jumped in fear, recognizing who was behind that loud almost inhuman scream.

Letting out a satisfied smirk, she continued, "Being the last week or not, I promise you that I'll punish you so much that you maggots won't even be able to stand up during your graduation ceremony."

Hearing this, everyone became serious, getting into formation quickly. "Especially you three!" She shouted out loud, but without mentioning their names. The culprits knew what she meant.

Having everyone's attention on her, she continued explaining what they were about to do, "I don't know if you've noticed, but there are some wagons near the main building. We'll pass this last week in Trost, 'cuz there is where they'll hold your ceremony and where you'll eventually choose your branch."

Everyone nodded, some traded a few comments and Melda continued, "Last year, you guys did that training session in that city along with the Garrison guys, to prepare for an eventual attack, but this time we'll be only assisting them in normal maintenance duties."

This news was like music to the exhausted trainees. Some of them began to show their contentment and Melda decided to blow their moment, "Ohh! Don't be so happy, you maggots! You'll still be acting under my orders, there will be no slacking off and I'll be sure to keep you fit, making some special morning regiment for you."

Everyone's expressions changed once again, she was surely an evil woman.

Before they could whine Melda decided to continue, "We'll be leaving at noon, so you better go get ready, pack your stuff and head to the main building. Dismissed!"

Finishing her speech, she left the sad looking trainees behind, while some of them already were making their way into the dorms to get ready for the trip to the city, located in the south of the Wall Rose.

* * *

**Antonio's POV**

Exiting the mess hall that was for our trainee squad, I headed back to my dorm room, accompanied by Samuel.

"Hey, where was Richard? I haven't seen him during the lunch break." Samuel said, slightly concerned about our friend.

I shrugged my shoulders, "I really don't know... He wasn't angry. He's probably getting ready for the graduation ceremony."

We continued heading to the dorms. Reaching the room, as soon as I opened the door, Atlas jumped towards me, or better yet, almost threw me into the ground.

"Take it easy, buddy! You're not a small puppy anymore. I can barely hold you…" I said as I tried not to fall. The white husky was on his two back paws almost hugging me.

The grown puppy, that looked more like a wolf to me, finally let go and waited patiently for a treat or some type of affection. I patted his head and he calmed down.

By now, I was expecting some kind of joke from Richard, saying how soft I was towards the dog.

But this time he was looking quite serious and he also seemed to be upset, seated on his bunker, not even paying attention to us.

Samuel approached me and whispered, "Is he still mad because his tie against Rose in the wooden Titan showdown?"

I nodded, "Yeah that's probably it... You know how he gets super serious against her."

Suddenly he heard a loud sigh, "Guys! I'm here."

"Yeah buddy, sorry about that!" I said, letting out a small chuckle, not sounding apologetic at all.

He jumped out of his bunk and said, "Yeah, I'm depressed 'cuz I feel like I'm still not strong enough and it seems that my dream of a free world is slipping through my fingers."

He finally confessed, making a small pause to breath, touching the red bandanna that was tied to his left arm, his precious memento.

Hearing this I immediately understood what he meant, sometimes I also felt insecure about my goal. "Are we really prepared to fight those things?"

Looking directly at me he continued, "It's not just that... You know Antonio, we've talked about it..." He said vaguely with a worried expression, but I quickly understood what he meant.

Since Melda had declared that we were going to Trost, he has been feeling that something might happen like it did in Shiganshina.

We knew that there was someone in our squad or a Garrison member that was just like the ones who brought down the Wall Maria, however it looked like it was on our side.

However, we decided not to talk about it.

Of course we were also not sure of what we saw. If we ended up talking about this matter to anyone they'd just ignore us or call us insane... Humans that could transform into Titans? That sounded impossible.

Samuel tried to cheer him up. "Richard c'mon... We're talking about Rose," he said letting out a playful laugh. "I don't even know if we can consider her a normal human anymore... She's just too strong but I still think you're pretty good yourself."

This brought back Richard's grin. I added, "Yeah, cheer up! We're about to graduate. It's true that none of us can match her, but you still have those skills with those spins of yours and crazy slashes," I said imitating his pose, holding my arms in front of my face making an X sign.

He made an offended face and said, "Yeah, don't go around copying my moves, grumpy! We'll be just fine!" He grabbed his coat and headed our way.

With his usual cocky smirk he said, "C'mon, guys. Let's just get this graduation thing out of the way!" With an enthusiastic expression, he jumped towards us, making a friendly headlock to both of us.

Samuel just laughed at his reaction and I tried to shove him. "Aff! Here we go, back to the old lazy idiot."

"Ha-ha! Yeah, of course! Who would hang around a grumpy guy like you? I should be considered a saint by now."

With this, we left the room, heading now to the main square, where our graduation would take place.

* * *

**Normal POV**

In the main plaza, near the military headquarters of Trost, the trainees of the 104th Squad were already in formation, waiting for their final moment, the speech that would lead them to their graduation.

Melda, Danika and the other assistants were already facing the trainees.

"Dedicate your hearts!" Melda ordered, waiting for the trainees to complete the typical salute.

"Today marks the ending of your training. You survived for three years of hard work and that makes you today soldiers and from now on your only objective is to fight for humanity dedicating your all to fight against the Titans."

Making a small pause on her speech, she asked the newborn soldiers, "Are you ready to sacrifice your lives all for humanity's sake?"

Maintaining their salute, the 218 trainees that survived through the harsh training answered, "Sir, yes sir!"

"The 100 years of peace have finally come to an end when the wall Maria was brought down by the Rock and Flame Titan. There was no way we could have possibly stopped those events from happening due to our laid back attitude."

"But that's in the past; every soldier has been alerted of our current situation. Even as I speak, those monsters could come at any second now and tear down the wall once again."

The trainees' expression changed, when they remembered their actual situation. They were at war, and now they were definitely part of it, too.

"As soldiers, you will sacrifice your all to bring down the Titans. We might have lost many battles, but the war is far from ending."

This specific phrase made the young trainees moral boost once again. With confident smirks on their faces they shouted, "Sir!"

Removing a small paper sheet from her pocket, Melda glanced at it before continuing, "Being the end of your training, as tradition we choose 10 trainees that excelled and obtained satisfactory results. I'll call you in a descending order, so step forward and line up!"

"Rosaline Nash, Xin Tien, Antonio Rodrigues, Richard Krieg, Jeorge Adalia, Cain Murrik, Jessica, Kaspar Bauer, Asta and finally Elisa Peters." Melda finished announcing the top ten trainees and folded the paper sheet.

The ten prestigious trainees stepped forward, making a line in front of their comrades.

A round of applause was heard. Some of the trainees cheered their friends and other just stood there with disdain expressions.

"Rosaline is the best! We all knew she was the best trainee." One of the trainees shouted excitedly.

"Xin is great too!" Another one shouted back. "Forget about that! Why is Richard in fourth? He was always being punished..."

The trainees were now taken by the excitement, forgetting that this was a formal event.

In the line, Antonio elbowed Richard, teasing him about what they were saying, "Fourth, huh? Not bad. For a slacker that is." The red haired boy whispered.

Richard bit back a laugh and retorted, "Looks like your hard work paid off, grumpy!"

The other top ten students were maintaining their salute with shocked expressions. Most of them were not expecting to end up considered as the best out of more than 200 trainees.

A vein could be noticed on Melda's forehead, as she grew mad at their behavior, "**SILENCE BRATS!**" she roared, gaining everyone's attention.

Returning to her serious expression, she continued as like nothing had happened. "Now that you've completed your formations, you'll be given three choices: the, Garrison, whose job lies on protecting the Walls and the cities; the Scouting Legion, who sacrifice their lives outside the Walls in order to take back what was once ours; and finally the Military Police, where you'd be serving under the King in order to keep law and order within the cities.

"Of course it goes without saying, only the Top ten trainees or handpicked soldiers are allowed to enroll into the MP."

Making a small pause to her speech, she concluded, "Tomorrow, you will apply for your assignments, so choose wisely. Today marks the ending and the disbanding of the 104th Trainees Squad. Don't forget your morning duties assisting the Garrison personnel and without further ado, you're dismissed!"

* * *

**Elisa's POV**

With the graduation ceremony over, all the trainees, including myself, headed back to the mess hall for our well deserved dinner.

Once entering it, it was like I changed of dimensions. I had never seen my comrades looking so happy before. Remembering what I had achieved, 10th place in the top of our squad, a grin also surged on my face.

I held my clenched fist close to my chest, _"Now, it's humanity's turn! I'll show those Titans how extreme I am! I'll kill them for sure!"_ I thought to myself.

Suddenly, I felt a delicate touch on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Rosaline looking at me with a smile on her face.

"Elisa, congratulations on making it to the top ten! I knew you could do it!"

I nodded. "Thank you, Rose! Of course you were the number one... You are amazingly strong." As I said that, I noticed that she darted her head to the side, avoiding my gaze.

"T-Thanks." she said barely audibly. Her cheeks were dusted with a tint of red. "What are you going to do now? Are you joining the Scouts?" she asked me as we finally grabbed our share of food.

As we finally seated down, I nodded. "Of course! That was my only goal. I'll kill them all..." The last part of my phrase was full of anger and venom towards the monsters that took away my happiness.

Letting out a sigh, Rose looked at me with a worried expression. "You can't be guided by hatred... I don't want you to mess up."

Noticing her sad face, I tried to shake off the heavy mood, "Hey, don't worry, Rose! You know I won't die until the every last Titan is dead!" I beamed with confidence towards her.

Giving me a soft slap on my head and smiling kindly, she said, "Well, it looks like I'll have to watch your back out there. I'll go with you!"

I was about to retort that she didn't have to follow me, I could handle myself. She didn't have to babysit me, but in fact I was happy so I hesitated to speak my mind.

Before I could say anything, I heard some whispering around us. Some trainees had heard our discussion and now I began to notice that some of them wanted to talk with us.

I noticed two of them taking the lead, as they made their way towards us.

If I was not mistaken, they were Chris Larsen and Jake Steiner.

Chris was a tiny, blond-haired boy with a pale skin and Jake had a mature look on his face, his hair was short and brown colored.

"Are you serious Rose, Elisa? You made into the top ten and you won't join the MP?" Jake said, sounding both mad and jealous at our decisions.

I nodded affirmatively. "Yes! I always had only one goal on my mind, to join the Scouts and fight the Titans!"

With a distressed look on his face, Chris added, "But you worked so hard! You two were chosen to live comfortably within the Wall Sina... Many of us would kill for that opportunity."

Hearing this made me want to beat some sense into them. "I don't care about safety! I won't wait for the Titans to breach one Wall after another... I'll go into their territory and wipe them!"

Rose approached me and whispered, "Take it easy, El. Let's go outside, just ignore them."

Making our way through the trainees, I could feel the amount of tension that I had created when I spoke my mind. Rosaline quickly took me outside, glaring at the ones who were talking behind our backs.

* * *

**Normal POV**

With Elisa and Rosaline out of the room, most of the trainees started to bash on their opinions, and began making fun of their goals.

"Yeah, right! If they don't want their spot on the MP, at least they could change places with us!" one of the trainees said.

"At least I made it into the best graduates," Kaspar said out loud. "I'll be able to join the MP. Fighting against the Titans is a lost cause... I rather not sacrifice myself," he concluded.

Emma's head rotated in his direction and she joined him. "Yeah... I heard that you could be handpicked for the MP. Maybe I can join in if those two are leaving their spots open." Her blue eyes were shining with hope, as she leaned back her chair in a laid back.

Hearing this much bad talk about his friends, Richard stood up from his seat and shouted, "All right, guys! We get it... You guys want to live in the Inner District. But don't forget that years ago, this city also used to be considered a part of the same comfortable District you're talking about."

The sudden outburst of Richard made the trainees focus on him, and for a second the room was silent again.

"If you guys enjoy having your heads above your shoulders, I would also suggest you not talk bad about those girls behind her back... You know how ballistic Rose can get."

The trainees who were talking badly about the girls before, rapidly sat down or dispersed, remembering the number one rule of their Squad: don't piss off Rose.

This comment made Antonio hold back a laugh. He knew how amazingly strong Rose was, and he was also enjoying the show of Richard getting serious defending his friends.

However, a certain blonde-haired girl was looking somewhat distressed. Seated on Richard's left, Jessica tried to push her best friend down, attempting to make him stop his rant.

"Yeah, says the son of a rich family. The one who was born in a golden cradle! Just go back to the safety of Wall Sina! I bet you will become a Captain of the MP in no time," one of the trainees retorted.

"Yeah! You have no right to talk about this matter... You weren't born in the outskirts like us," another one shouted.

Letting out a sigh, Richard returned to his speech, trying to hold back his anger. "Yes, you guys are right... I've been born privileged, and you might think of me as just another spoiled brat, but I haven't joined the military to enroll into the MP. I'm going to join the Scouts as well!"

With his strong affirmation, most of the trainees gasped in surprise.

"I know it takes 20 soldiers to bring one Titan down, but if we wait for them to push through the next Walls, we'll be eradicated... We won't have a family or a place to call home, and I would rather die fighting than patently waiting for their next attack!"

Jessica quickly stood up and with a kind smile said, "C'mon, people, let's not fight today! It's our last day together... I know that we are all anxious about our futures but today's a day to celebrate not to fight among ourselves."

Hearing this kind speech, made the commotion calm down. Everyone returned to their seats, focusing once again on their plates, with one question on their minds: what's the right choice to make.

Samuel, wanting to ease his friends' mood, made his way to a seat close to them and said, "Guys... Have you heard about that party that they'll throw for the graduated trainees?"

Antonio, Richard, Xin and Jessica nodded negatively and the tiny boy continued, "Let's go then! It'll be fun!"

Some trainees overheard their conversation and quickly wanted to join in, too.

Emelia who said that they needed to get ready for that event first, quickly snatched Jessica and Xin, dragging both girls into the dorms.

* * *

The place that Samuel talked about was a local bar not too far away from the military headquarters.

Arriving there, the three boys started to feel a tad out of place since most of the trainees and guests were dressed casually and they were still wearing their uniforms and pants.

Samuel couldn't help but laugh, indeed they were looked a tad bit out of place here.

The bar was quite comfy. It had some wood tables designated for a large group of people, some individuals too near the corners. The zone next to the bar had some seats and in the back, it was visible a big dance area and there was a local band playing some classical music.

They tried to find a place to sit, but the bar was crowded.

"Tch! It's almost full already, we should have arrived sooner." Antonio mumbled, starting to feel annoyed by the huge crowd of trainees, Garrison soldiers and other military personal.

Making their way through the crowd, they spotted some empty seats near the main counter.

Finally seated, the boys started to order some drinks, "Some orange juice, please, madam," the blonde-haired boy asked politely. Antonio raised his hand and gestured to make it double. "Ma'am, bring me some beer," Richard ordered.

At this, both his friends and the lady stopped looking at him. "Are you old enough to drink, my boy?" The brown haired employee asked giving the boy a kind smile.

At this, Richard let out a sarcastic scoff. "I'm old enough to die protecting humanity, but I can't drink a single beer?" At this everyone around them were silent for a second.

Immediately, the boy regretted what he said, "I'm sorry, lady. It's my fault... I didn't mean to snap at you."

"I-I'm sorry, I-I-" before she could continue Richard cut her off, removing a bag full of coins, he handed it to the woman and said, "Here take this. This should pay for our orders. You may keep some of it." Seeing that the young boy was probably from a rich household, she grabbed it without hesitating and hurried to get their orders.

"Still annoyed?" Samuel asked him, avoiding looking at directly at Richard who was frowning.

Antonio made no comment. He knew those comments from the trainees had affect his moral. "Yeah... Maybe I'm a spoiled brat. The only thing that I really care about is the promise I made to my sister," he said, vaguely grabbing the small jar with beer as it was handed to him.

Antonio and Samuel looked at each other and decided not to talk about it. They knew he wasn't like that.

A sad smile appeared on Samuel's face, as he thought, _"They are so brave… The fact that they are willing to risk their all for humanity's sake, I just can't be like that."_

The three boys stayed silent for a few minutes, until Richard eyes caught sight of something. Getting closer to Antonio he said, "Look who's here, buddy... Your girl!" he said elbowing him in the ribs.

Antonio's head instantly turned to the door, to confirm what he had just said. Danika was in fact there.

He froze looking at her, admiring her beauty. She was wearing a white dress, with a light blue scarf around her neck that she usually wore on her free time.

"She's an angel..." Antonio said, blushing a bit. The light colors suited her well; her blonde hair was loose, reaching just above her neck, floating as she walked through the entrance.

"Buddy, you're drooling a bit," Richard said, making the red haired boy jump in embarrassment. "Shut up, you idiot!" he retorted, turning his head away from her.

Giving him a small laugh he said, "Go ask her to dance, Romeo. I heard she was returning to the Scouts tomorrow... Give her a goodbye kiss for me."

Antonio gave him a death glare. "Shut up, dude! You're drunk already," he said, removing his cup from his reach.

He knew that Danika was about to join the Scouts once again. Humanity couldn't afford to have its best weapon out of the field after all. "I'll go talk with her. Samuel take care of him, he already drank two cups."

Samuel nodded and the red haired boy disappeared into the crowd.

Richard looked directly at Samuel and noticed that he was somewhat sad. He then remembered of the blond haired boy's feelings towards Antonio.

"I'm sorry, buddy... I didn't mean to hurt you, I know how you feel about him." Samuel looked surprised for a second, but he didn't try to deny it. He knew that Richard was actually quite good at reading others.

Samuel waved his hands in front of his face, "N-No, don't worry! I always knew he liked her... I'm just happy to have you guys as friends."

It sure wasn't easy for Samuel. He was already feeling low because this was his hometown and yet, he didn't have a home to return to. His father was a drunken man and his mother had died. But the fact that he would soon be separated from them was also making him sad.

Not knowing what to do, Richard was saved by three young girls in casual dresses.

Richard eyes widened in surprise, "Wow! You look beautiful girls. That brings back memories, little demon." he complimented them and ended up teasing Emelia about the pretty dress that she was wearing.

The girls nodded, embarrassed with the situation, they had the males attention on them.

To hide her blush, Jessica gave Richard a headlock and messed his hair up, "Always such a gentleman, Richard."

The brown haired boy tried to push her away, shouting at her for destroying his hairstyle once again, since she was the one who had cut it badly the last time, ruining his former spiky haircut.

After some minutes of laughter, Richard looked at Xin and asked, "What are you going to do, Xin? I assume you'll be joining the MP..."

Xin raised her eyebrow at this question and thought a bit before answering, "To be honest, I think I might join the Scouts, too. I've always idolized them despite their constant failure. More importantly, I can't let you and Antonio die on me."

The last part of her comment served as a joke, only to hide a bigger message. Richard just laughed at her and retorted, "All right, second best, I count on you!" he said, fist bumping her.

Jessica feeling somewhat uneasy, quickly said, "I-I'll also go with you guys!" Hearing this almost made Xin trying to talk her out if, she knew how afraid of Titans her friend was, but yet, she decided not to. She notice how much braver the blonde haired girl was now.

Hearing this, made Emelia gain courage and she shouted, "Yeah, I'll join the Scouts too!"

Richard, a little bit happier than the normal, thanks to the alcohol, grabbed his friends, forcing them into a group hug. The group of friends stood on the bar for a few more hours, dancing and having a good time, forgetting for a moment that soon they would all start to serve humanity in the battlefield.

* * *

**Antonio's POV**

I rushed in order to get closer to Danika. She was looking around, looking for something of someone. I hesitated speaking with her for a second, but I couldn't afford to let her go without saying goodbye.

Touching her shoulder gently, I said, "Hey Danika. What are you doing here?"

Recognizing my voice, she turned around in surprise, a kind smile appearing on her face, "I was looking for you guys... You know that I'll be joining the Scouts tomorrow, I wanted to wish you good luck."

I nodded and told her that I was looking for her for the same reason. An awkward silence fell upon us and I noticed that she looked rather shy or uncomfortable.

I offered her my hand, "Wanna dance?"

At first she reacted shocked. _"Damn! I messed up," _I thought, regretting what I did.

However, I felt her hand gripping mine after a few seconds. She gave me a shy nod and raised her left arm, waiting for me to get into the dancing stance.

Since there was a classical music playing the easiest not to mention only dance that I knew was waltz, because you only really need to slide to the sides.

I softly put my right arm on her back and we started to slide around the room, avoiding the other couples.

_"Wait...couples?"_ When I looked around, I noticed that most of the pairs who were dancing were doing it in a very intimate way. When I realized what he must look right now I started to blush.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm not a good dancer," I said, letting out a nervous chuckle as I noticed that I almost stepped on her feet.

She laughed at me and said, "You're not that bad, Antonio." The way she said my name and the way she was gazing me, made my heart skip a bit.

Despite being happy right now, I was also worried about her. She had a distant look on her face, her green eyes looking not depressed, but upset.

"Are you going to be okay? I-I mean... You must be nervous after so long, having to return to the battle. I know that you're strong, but are you ready to get back into action?"

Her face became serious, but her eyes still had a blank look. I noticed her sliding becoming slower. Her grip became more intense, as if she was afraid of something.

She started to face the ground before saying lowly, "I'll be okay… I just didn't want to lose more important people. The last time was awful, so many people..."

A tear rolled down her cheek as we stopped dancing. I patted her back trying to comfort her. She laid her head on my shoulder. "A-And s-soon I might lose you too..." She said in between sobs.

Hearing that she was worried about my safety, made me feel happy.

"Hey, I'm not that weak you know?" I said playfully, as I lifted her head so that she could face me.

"Everything is going to be okay. Once I join the Scouts, I promise you I'll have your back and I know you'll defend me, too! I'll help you make this world a place where we can all live freely," I said, patting her back in an attempt to reassure her.

Saying this reminded me of that day. The day I had promised to avenge my parents. I frowned, once again remembering my motives.

Unfortunately for me, Danika had noticed my expression and she started to look distressed.

She wiped her teary face, with the back of her hands and looked at me with her usual scolding expression. "Y-Yeah, I'd never let anything happen to you! But promise you won't join just for revenge…Promise me!" She almost shouted, grabbing my arm in a protective way.

Before I could say anything, she continued, "I had many comrades who had join for that same reason and it blinded all of them, leading to their deaths… So promise me you won't fight just for that reason."

Not sure how I was feeling about this, I nodded promising that I wouldn't do that.

But maybe I had lied to her. _"All I ever thought about was fighting back, fighting for my revenge. How am I supposed to look at it any differently now?"_

The nearby church bell rang, announcing the start of a new day. Danika grew agitated as she confirmed the time with her wristwatch.

"I gotta go, Antonio. Tomorrow the Scouts will gather here and we'll head to clean some of the towns nearest to Trost, for safety measures. Meet you at the Commander's speech."

Giving me a quick peck on the cheek, she left rushing towards the door with a heavy blush covering her cheeks, she turned around and gave me a small wave and small smiles before exiting through the door, I just stood there, speechless as I touched my cheek wondering what had just happened.

"Crap, I'm late! I'll be sleeping on the streets tonight," I mumbled to myself, remembering the mandatory curfew, sprinting towards the dorms as fast as I could.

* * *

**Normal POV**

Early in the morning, the gates had been open to let the Scouting Legion pass through the Wall.

Their mission was to clear the large amount of Titans that has been attracted to the "bait districts". Today, their mission was near Trost.

Morning came by and the trainees were assigned minor tasks in order to help the Garrison with their maintenance work, since they only choose their branch later that night, once the Commanders arrived.

It was nothing that hard. Some of them were divided into groups, in order to help clean the cannons, while some of them were down near the gates reinforcing their traps and the remaining trainees were writing reports about Titan hordes that were located near the Walls, so that the Garrison could deal with them later.

Above the main gate, were the trainees who were assigned to maintain the main line of defense of Trost were Antonio, Elisa, Alina and Cain.

Still equipping their 3DMG, the trainees were preparing to climb the Wall to begin their duty.

"All right. All set, guys?" Antonio asked as he finished adjusting his gear belt.

Everyone nodded and the kids hooked on to the Wall.

Grinning like a little child, Alina said, "I'll race y'all to the top!" With that, the girl disappeared in a flash, running along the wall at the same time as she kept reeling her hooks.

The others sighed. Cain looked at her and complained, "What the heck? I know she's fast but today she's away above that!"

Everyone set off, trying to pursue the light blonde-haired girl, also nicknamed Monkey Girl by the squad.

Once they all arrived, there everyone got to their posts, since they had met with a Garrison member who was there to mark their presence.

"What did you do with your 3DMG? You were way faster today!" Elisa asked as she continued cleaning the cannon. The others were also curious and they instantly became distracted too.

Alina let out a chuckle and said, "Ahh! I had Richard take a look at it. It was feeling a beat heavy and hard to maneuver so I asked for his help since he knows his stuff."

Elisa raised her eyebrow and nodded in understanding. "Maybe I should ask him to repair mine too? Maybe I'd be able to match Rose!" As she finished her sentence, the brunette raised her fist up, her hazel eyes shining with excitement.

Immediately everyone began to mock Elisa, saying that no trainee would be able to possibly match Rose.

Laughter filled the air, and the group kept working and talking about their goals or just remembering funny events from their former days as trainees.

The view from the top of the wall was amazing. They could see the whole town, and the feeling of the wind and warm rays of sun made them somehow feel at peace.

It was too peaceful, in fact.

Suddenly, a whirl of clouds surged above their heads and then a large bolt of lightning flashed in front of them.

When the light died down, a huge figure appeared in front of them.

It was a Titan and it was gripping the edges of the Wall with its large hands.

The group of trainees knew what was happening; it was the Rock Titan. After years of peace, the huge Titan had attacked once again.

The three kids from Shiganshina were frozen in shock. Cain was awestruck since it was the first time he had seen it, making the rumors about it correct.

In a quick move, the Rock Titan once again kicked through the gate with ease, making chunks of debris flying in all directions causing the earth beneath it to shatter.

The wood made protections near the gates were able to stop some of the debris, but it still wasn't enough.

"It can't be!" Antonio shouted. His eyes widened in fear as he saw what happened. "**YOU!**" Elisa roared in anger as she removed her blades.

"H-Huh? It can't be..." Alina mumbled in shock "Watch out!" Cain shouted as the trainees were sent back flying when the Rock Titan released a sand-like steam.

"W-What!? Switch for your 3DMG!" Antonio shouted as everyone attached themselves to the Wall.

Alina looking back at the huge hole that the powerful kick created, shouted in distress, "It's happening again! The Titans will start to enter the city."

Panting in anger, Elisa roared, "C'mon! Let's fight it! It's our only chance. Ready up for battle!" With that, Elisa started to swing her hooks, using gas to propel herself to the top of the Wall again.

"Wait! That isn't a normal Titan!" Antonio shouted as he followed Elisa in order to back her up. Still hesitant, the other two followed them as well.

This day had marked the trainees' first real all-out battle against the Titans.


	15. TR Arc - 2 - The First Hour

**-Earlier that day-**

**Normal POV**

Despite it being early in the morning, the town was fully awake by now.

The city's bells were ringing as a warning that the main gate would be open to let the Scouting Legion pass onto one of their expeditions.

Many citizens were already awaiting their passage onto the main street, creating a huge ruckus. Some of them admired the Legion's courage and skill, but there were also those who criticized them for their constant failures.

As a precaution, some of the Garrison members and a few trainees were put in charge of keeping the order. Of course, there would be no citizen crazy enough to directly trouble the Scouts, but sometimes the citizen's conflicting opinions could create minor brawls.

Among those in charge of keeping the watch on the main street were Richard, Xin and Jessica.

The blonde girl was excited, waiting to see the Scouting Legion for her first time.

Despite always being bland with her feelings, Xin was also somewhat happy to be able to watch the Legion again this close up. To watch those who bear humanity's hope, dressed in their green cloaks.

However, Richard didn't seem all that excited. Noticing his expression, Jessica got closer to him and whispered, "What's wrong Richy?"

"It's nothing, I just find all of this dumb... That's all." The brown haired boy answered in a bored tone, averting eye contact with his friends.

"Ohh c'mon! We've got ourselves the opportunity to see the Scouts before enlisting, isn't that great?" She said elbowing him in a friendly way. Richard smiled weakly at the blonde's childish antics.

"She's right," Xin said calmly, joining the conversation, "And we also get to see Danika before she goes. I feel bad for Antonio…" She concluded, trying to humor Richard.

Letting out a small chuckle, Richard said, "Yeah, he's probably pissed because he got the wall duty. Ahh poor guy…" He mused before getting back into a formal stance.

The girls nodded and all of them laughed at the situation. The red haired boy was probably cursing himself for his bad luck.

Suddenly, everyone started to shout excitedly. Finally, they could see the Scouting Legion soldiers, atop their horses, marching towards the gate.

On the front line, a man wearing in a black trench coat was leading the other soldiers. Maxwell Steel was his name.

"Bring a victory for humanity, Commander Max!" Hearing their encouraging shouts, the gray haired man couldn't help but acknowledge them, nodding and waving back to the citizens.

_"Tch! He's not that good."_ Richard thought with disdain, as he encountered Maxwell's proud gaze. Both of them traded a serious gaze as the Scouts made their way past the young trainees.

Richard's eyes became cold. Xin was the only one to notice his expression, but she decided to stay quiet about it, _"Everyone has their own secrets and problems."_ She thought, concerned for her friend.

Jessica, looked like a crazy fan, screaming about how awesome the Legion looked, until a Garrison member decided to scold her back into duty.

"Look! There's Lieutenant Albert and Squad Leader Emily!" Some shouted, recognizing two of humanity's best soldiers.

Some people were shocked as they saw a third face right beside Albert and Emily. It was a young woman with a light blonde hair.

The trainees' eyes immediately focused on the familiar face, as they happily waved to the woman, their instructor, Danika, who returned to her previous duties as a soldier.

Noticing their presence, she waved back, giving the three friends a small smile. Although, her eyes became sad as she noticed a certain red haired boy was not standing beside them.

Finally recognizing the person who went missing for three years, someone shouted, "It's Corporal Danika! Humanity's strongest soldier! It's her! she's back!"

Upon hearing this news, a huge wave of cheers broke out on the main street as the people welcomed back the once forgotten soldier. Most of the people couldn't believe that she was alive after being gone for so long.

"She's back! Destroy them, Danika!" The rumors about her deeds spread quickly, and knowing that such a soldier existed made them feel hopeful. Even her mates were feeling more excited than usual, especially those who thought she had died in Shiganshina.

Having so much attention on her and hearing the rumors about her past feats and cheers about her potential made Danika feel bad for the ones who she had once failed.

_"If I'm here today, it's because they saved me back then. I don't deserve this..."_ The blonde thought as she remembered her fallen squad, lowering her face in shame.

Unfortunately for her, her two friends heard her sigh and noticed that she looked somewhat down with all this. "Back to being humanity's heroine, Danika?" The blonde haired man to her left asked jokingly.

Relaxing a bit, she said honestly, "Yeah... I think I forgot what is like to bear their hopes on my shoulders, especially after what happened..."

Upon hearing this, Albert froze. He didn't know how to react, since he had also seen what had happened that day. It still haunted him too.

Emily, sensing the negative vibes from her friends, tried to snap them back to reality, "Guys, please focus! I know it was bad, but we can't keep dragging ourselves down because of it. The least we can do is fight to avenge them."

What Emily said had reached Danika, "Fighting for them is the least I can do to repay them." She repeated trying to convince herself that she needed to do this. Regaining control over her emotions, Danika nodded with a determined look and thanked her friends for their support.

"Stick with me Dan, you may have gotten rusty after babysitting for so long!" Emily teased her as everyone stood in front of the outer gate of Trost, waiting impatiently.

Letting a small chuckle, Danika bit back, "Yeah right! Maybe this time you'll be able to keep up with me, Lilly!" The three soldiers laughed quietly, happy after their long waited reunion.

The city bell rang once again, regaining everyone's attention, "One minute until the gate fully opens. Scouting Legion, be ready to enter formation as soon as we leave Trost!" Maxwell shouted to his subordinates.

While waiting for the gate to open, a group of young kids managed to climb high enough to watch the Scouts for their first time.

"Whoa! Look, it's the Survey Corps! How cool!" "Their emblems represent the hope of mankind!"

Turning her head to the young kids, Danika let out a proud smile as she remembered what it felt like to give people hope for a better future. The dreamy expression of those kids made her feel warm inside.

_"If not for me, I'll be fighting for everyone. Somewhat like him."_ Danika thought to herself as everyone started to gallop through Trost's gate, rapidly entering formation, getting ready to take back humanity's territory.

* * *

**Antonio's POV**

It all happened so fast. We were just finishing up maintenance on the cannons when, from out of nowhere, the Rock Titan appeared with a clap of thunder. Then, with its massive foot, it broke another gate like it was nothing.

Still shocked, I looked down and noticed the damage that the powerful kick had caused. Chunks of debris had destroyed the first block of buildings. However, the damage was far less brutal when compared to Shiganshina.

This was prevented thanks to the big wooden barricades that were placed in front of the gate, which were designed as a countermeasure in case this happened again.

The streets were already tainted red. People had started fleeing in panic towards the second gate as the soldiers tried to keep some semblance of order.

Still hooked to the wall, I snapped back to reality. I noticed that Elisa was already at the top of wall facing off with the Rock Titan.

I kept climbing the wall using my 3DMG as if I was swinging on vines, bursting my gas handle to reach Elisa in time.

Suddenly, I saw the Titan removing its right hand from the top of the wall, swinging it's arm towards the top of the wall, and we were probably its targets.

"Alina! Cain! Fall back!" I shouted, noticing that it would be better if they stayed out of the conflict and evacuated safely.

Looking to the top of the wall, I saw that Elisa was starting to hook herself onto the Titan's body. She was probably so angry that she hadn't noticed the incoming attack.

The Rock Titan's arm was slowly swinging in Elisa's direction, and I probably wouldn't make it in time to grab her now. "Elisa, look out!" I shouted, and just before getting hit, she used her 3DMG to hook onto its head, using gas to ascend vertically, fast enough to dodge it just in time.

Getting myself ready for the impact, I hooked myself onto the wall, hanging closely to it, avoiding being hit by the debris that was falling from above me.

Once again I was shocked to see what had happened. Its objective was never to hit us. It was aiming to take out the cannons instead.

_"I can't believe this...This bastard does think on an intelligent level."_ I thought to myself, angered by this whole situation. If Richard and I were right, then this is a human's doing, just like in the training exercise.

Finally able to move again, I started climbing the wall again and stopped as I stepped onto the top, facing the giant. I froze when I saw at it. Its huge red eyes were glowing, and it was almost as if it was smiling at the destruction it just caused.

For a moment, I just wanted to swing around it with my gear and finish it off, cutting its nape to avenge my family.

However, I knew it wasn't that simple, so I decided to think of the best course of action.

_"I could grab Elisa, retreat to headquarters and await the Garrison's orders, or I could just simply go down there and defend the gate from incoming Titans."_ I thought.

As I debated with myself, I had totally forgotten that Elisa was still in danger, since she was still floating in the air, hooked with her gear onto the Rock Titan's head.

I saw that Elisa was going straight to its neck. She started to swing around the huge skinless face, using her gas to keep her balance as she took an offensive position, holding up her blades.

For a second, it looked like she had a clear chance of killing it. She was getting closer and closer at a speed too fast for the huge rock monster to dodge.

Unfortunately, there was something that the Rock Titan had up its sleeve. Sensing that it was being cornered, the titan held its head up high, and its body started emitting an intense hot steam with some remains of sand, making it impossible to see clearly.

I hooked myself into the ground, waiting for an opening.

When the steam finally died down, the Rock Titan was nowhere to be seen. It had vanished just like it did in Shiganshina.

Elisa's scream of despair reached me as I finished clearing the sand from my eyes, "Help me! I can't see anything!" I saw her hopelessly shooting her hooks while trying to clear her eyes, but she wasn't using enough cable for her distance.

I started running in her direction, hooking myself onto the smashed floor and leaping straight towards her to grab her.

"Elisa, extend your arm!" Hearing my voice she held up her free arm and I was able to safely grab her, using gas to stop my momentum.

"Hold on, I'll bring us back to the wall." I said while carrying her by the waist. "Antonio! Did I get the bastard? What happened?" She started bombarding me with questions. When she finally managed to open her eyes, she noticed that the Rock Titan was nowhere to be seen.

I nodded negatively, and she stared at me like a disappointed little kid and started crying, shouting and cursing the damned Titan that had destroyed so many lives.

I knew how she felt, but this wasn't the time to let our emotions run free, "Can you use your 3DMG?" I asked her once we landed on the wall.

She tried to activate her hooks, but it seemed like she had damaged the 3DMG while shooting them randomly before.

"Okay, then hold on and I'll take us to the HQ!" I shouted while grabbing her and speeding towards the military center. Right now, I bet every soldier was a mess, and everyone was getting themselves ready to face the titans.

Scoffing internally, I thought to myself, _"It seems like our lives as soldiers will be starting earlier than expected."_

* * *

**Normal POV**

The situation in the military HQ looked pretty bad. Soldiers of various ages were running around loading their tanks or getting new blades, while others were about to pass out from the thought of having to face the giant predators.

Right now, there wasn't any type of order in the meeting square. There were people screaming, crying, puking and some even started to end their lives, afraid of having a worse ending.

Suddenly, a small man with dark hair walked up in the center of the plaza. Despite his short stature, his posture showed confidence, and his serious demeanor demanded attention.

His dark eyes were sharp, somewhat intimidating and, as he stepped up, he clapped loudly while screaming, "Listen soldiers! Unfortunately for us, the Commander is not among us, nor the Elite Force. This means that I, Captain Simon, will be the one in charge!"

By now, everyone had stopped their various activities to listen to and watch the small man's actions closely. "I know it's hard for everyone to keep a calm composure, especially for those with families in Trost, and especially so for the young trainees, but from now on, only the strong will prevail!"

"I won't lie to you, I know that most of us aren't going to live to see tomorrow, but we can save countless civilian lives and close the breach before the titans conquer Wall Rose."

Noticing that honesty wasn't the best option, since everyone looked more afraid now, he tried another approach, "I won't force anyone to fight today! In fact, you have my permission to run like chickens and hide behind Wall Rose! You all can go ahead and hide, but will you feel safe? How long do you think those Walls are going to keep protecting us or our families?"

Making a dramatic pause to let his words sink in the soldiers' hearts, he kept pushing them, "For the Garrison members who still want to fight back, divide into your groups and use the strategies that we've used in training."

Now looking directly at the group of trainees, he continued his speech, "For you trainees, all I've got to say is that I'm truly sorry. You've been forced to graduate early, and I hope that I can count on your strength as well."

Finally finishing his speech, Simon waited to see the reaction of the soldiers. Some trainees and Garrison members grabbed their gas tanks and headed outside, retreating towards Wall Rose.

But those who stayed started clapping at the Captain's words, trying to prevail strong against all the odds. "For humanity!" Someone shouted, and all the present soldiers saluted and starting shouting in chorus, trying to get some motivation for themselves.

"That's what I like to see!" Simon said, chuckling, "Garrison members, get in position and start the defense plan. Trainees, gather around your groups and stay put until you are given further orders. Those who have are members can merge into other groups. Trainees who get left behind refilling their tanks or changing blades will stay in the HQ to help other soldiers who may come back to fill."

* * *

Everything started to change. Now the HQ started to work more orderly. Of course people were still nervous, they were facing death, but everyone who stayed to help had some reason to help, and their training had helped them to somehow remain sane.

The trainees were already grouped up in a circle, waiting for orders.

Sarcastically scoffing, Richard said, "What a great day to graduate."

Some still managed to find it funny, or maybe ironic, but Antonio wasn't happy about it at all. "Stop it, dude! It's time to get serious now! We might die out there!" The red haired said almost exploding at his friend's lack of seriousness.

Removing and checking his 3DMG hand grips, Richard said, "I know, but this is probably a lost cause..."

Hearing this, many of the trainees couldn't help but silently agree. There wasn't really any hope of winning this fight. The most that they could do was to sacrifice themselves so that the citizens could safely retreat through the gates.

From out of nowhere, Simon came straight up to the group of trainees and started looking around, as if trying to find something.

"Trainees Rosaline Nash and Xin Tien, please step forward!"

Breaking her conversation with Elisa and her other friends, Rosaline was the first to step up, "I'm Rosaline, sir!" She said seriously while saluting.

Richard and Xin traded glances, both confused by the captain's order, but the Asiatic girl stepped forward, saluting, "Xin Tien, sir!"

Smiling slightly the man continued, "Good! I see that the best trainees are still around. I'm here to ask you to join me in the Rear Guard to protect the main gate while people evacuate."

Xin quickly understood what was happening. Having the Elite Force in another district, the Garrison lacked members with advanced combat skills, which was why the Captain was asking for their help.

Xin quickly nodded, understanding that it was a good way to make use of her abilities. At least she would be able to save some lives.

However, Rosaline wasn't so convinced about this, "Captain, if possible, I would like to stay with my group!"

Despite knowing what was happening, Rosaline could only focus on one person. She couldn't care less if the whole world burned, she just wanted to keep Elisa safe.

Elisa, knowing that Rosaline was acting this way because of her, almost lost her temper and had to control herself to avoid slapping some sense into her friend.

Deciding to calm down, Elisa knew that deep down, Rose was only concerned about her and their friends. Elisa was grateful for that, but Rosaline was always obsessed with Elisa's well being and it always looked like she was babying her.

Elisa approached Rose and shook her gently. She said, "I'm going to be fine, I promise! But you need to help the citizens. They aren't trained like us, and they'll end up dying. Then Wall Rose will fall as well, and humanity will come to an end!"

Rose raised her head, finally facing her best friend with tears forming in her eyes, "Then promise me that you won't do anything stupid until I get back!" Rose shouted with concern.

Elisa sighed and was about to scold her again, but if she did that, Rose would probably feel hurt and she didn't wanted her to cry; that would be annoying to deal with. Elisa simply nodded, saying that everything would be okay.

Still against her will, Rosaline decided to run after Simon and Xin, deciding to join the Rear Guard while to telling herself that everything would be okay, and this would end soon.

Some minutes later, a Garrison soldier grouped up the trainees and briefly explained the strategy to them.

The trainees were divided in groups, and some of them were sent to fill their positions on top of the rooftops, waiting to be called into action.

* * *

**-One hour later-**

An hour has passed since the trainees and older soldiers started the special strategy designed by the Garrison Commander.

The plan consisted in mobilizing the Stationary troops to confront the Titan's advance, buying time to evacuate the civilians.

The soldiers were arrayed by their skill. The Front Guard was composed of regular Garrison soldiers.

Those poor souls would most likely ended up dying, since they had the least amount of skill. Putting it bluntly, they would serve as human bait.

The Middle Guard incorporated more advanced fighters and the so called scouts, whose main goal was to keep the Titans away from the second gate and, if needed, calling the trainees to battle.

Finally, there was the Rear Guard. Under normal circumstances, this role would be filled by the members of the Elite Squad, but since most of them were away in other districts, they were forced to use other, less skillful soldiers, and to take the help of the two best trainees.

Of course, the risk of dying of those in the Rear Guard was far less compared to the rest of the soldiers, especially those on the front lines. The Rear Guard only existed to contain rare Titans, the aberrant types, which would normally ignore the soldiers and focus only on the weakest of prey.

After completing their surveillance round, Jessica, Antonio, Richard, and Jeorge joined their comrades on the rooftops of the buildings several blocks away from the HQ.

Soon after their landing, Asta decided to question them about something that had been haunting everyone, "So? Have you found any Garrison members?"

Finishing to check his gas tank and his belt, Antonio answered, "No. We've got nothing." He paused for a second. "The only thing we noticed was that the HQ was probably raided by Titans. There were at least three or four trying to break in."

Antonio's honesty made everyone feel unsure about their hopes of survival. There weren't Garrison members alive on the front lines and most of the trainees were running low on gas after completing their tasks of identifying Titans that had breached the center of the city, using their flares.

Almost every one of them needed to resupply in the HQ if they were going to reach the Wall.

"I think the citizens must have evacuated by now." Jeorge concluded, but something was missing. "But we haven't heard the bell ring yet, like the plan said." Emelia said, chuckling nervously. Her thumbs were red, and it seemed like she had been biting them to keep herself calm.

Hearing this, everyone became silent again. Only one person dared to answer, "It seems like we've left behind." Richard mused.

Antonio was about to scold him, but what he said was probably true. "We should just retreat to the Wall. There's nothing we can do here." The brown haired boy continued.

"I agree. Let's fall back!" Asta said, receiving several nods from her group mates, Iosif, Emelia, and Kaspar.

Deep inside, nearly everyone just wanted to leave this hellish district. Hearing this made them hopeful that they could still have that.

* * *

The sky was grey, filled with clouds. Despite Trost being silent right now, everyone knew that in every corner, a deadly giant could pop out and devour them like snacks.

The first half of the city was already tainted in red. The last time that they'd seen a Garrison member was half an hour ago.

"Guys, we can't leave without checking on our friends first!" Jeorge shouted, somewhat angry, noticing that everyone just wanted to leave their friends behind, automatically assuming that they were already gone.

Of course he was worried about everyone, but his concern focused mainly on his best friend, Cain. His group was the last one to be called into action, and they hadn't received any news since then.

"I agree, we can't do that to them!" Emma said, surprising everyone, since she rarely expressed herself so openly.

"The ones with enough gas should do a quick lap around the city to check for survivors." Samuel suggested.

"That's suicide." Kaspar put into words what everyone was thinking. "Who would volunteer for a suicide mission?" He asked ironically. Despite his statement, several people seemed fully ready to do so.

Then, a small argument started. Most of the people wanted to leave Trost, but some couldn't agree to do such thing.

Suddenly, a red flare popped up behind them. "That's a help request." Richard said matter-of-factly. "Yeah, it's coming from inside the HQ." Antonio added, noticing that the smoke trail was unusually high.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of 3DMGs approaching them. "It's Xin and Rose! They came back for us!" Jessica shouted, almost in tears, happy to see that their friends hadn't abandoned them.

Richard leaned over to Antonio and Jeorge and whispered, "Things might get a little ugly when she realizes El's not here.." The boy said bluntly, remind his two friends that Elisa was also on the last group. Both of the boys seemed to shudder at the thought of what Rose might do.

Rosaline's eyes darted everywhere, just like a child who's lost sight of her parents. "Where is she? Where's Elisa?" She muttered to herself while examining the faces on the rooftop.

"We need to tell her what's happening." Jeorge whispered to both his friends.

Richard was about to say that it was a bad idea, but Antonio couldn't possibly lie to her.

He understood what she was going through right now. If he lost the one thing most important to him after what happened in Shiganshina, he would collapse in agony.

"About thirty minutes ago, the last trainee squad was called to action. Elisa, Cain, Alberto and Alina were on that squad"

Those who got along with those trainees closed their eyes in sadness, trying not to think about the things that they must have gone through. Others started recalling their own friends, who were also missing, and began grieving in silence.

The cowards were trying to convince themselves that this wasn't their fault. Only the lucky ones got to survive.

"No! She's not dead! She promised me!" She said rushing towards Antonio, grabbing his collar and shaking him violently.

"I'm sorry, that's what happened. I don't know if she's dead, or any of them for that matter, but we haven't received any news since her squad joined the battle." Antonio concluded more gently this time, trying to calm the girl.

However, this made something click inside her. "I'll get her back! I'll bring them back! You can either join me or crawl back to the Wall like maggots!"

After her expression of emotion, she dashed to the end of the building and launched herself in the air with her 3DMG.

"She's insane!" Someone yelled nervously. "She's strong, but she can't do it alone!" Another one added.

"I knew something like this would happen." Richard sighed. Seeing Xin silently walk towards him somewhat relieved him. He managed to give her a weak smile, asking himself if it wouldn't have been better for her to stay at the Wall.

"I'll go with her." Antonio said, leaving everyone who heard him dumbfounded.

Trading a glance with Antonio, Richard grabbed him by the arm, warning him, "You'll die! You guys don't have enough gas and everyone is probably dead by now anyway!"

Hearing this, the red haired boy scoffed and said, "Yeah, you're definitely still an asshole! I can't leave Rose or the others alone! Go back to the Wall, coward!" And with that he left as well, pursuing Rose.

Ruffling his hair in despair, he noticed that Jeorge was about to follow them as well. Richard stripped off his jacket, "Jeorge, Xin, lead everyone back to the Wall and help those who need to refill. I need to save those romanticist idiots." Jeorge wanted to go with him to help the others, but he listened to Richard, thinking he knows what he's doing.

Handing his coat to Xin, Richard said quietly, "Please send this to my family if I don't return." The brown haired boy immediately felt the cold temperature on his arms, since he was only wearing a sleeveless shirt, "Shit its cold!" He shouted.

Running towards the edge of the building, the boy waved and jumped as well, launching himself in the air using his 3DMG, having only one goal: bringing back his friends so that he could kick their asses later.


	16. TR Arc - 3 - The First Battle

**-Earlier that day-**

**Normal POV**

Minutes after the invasion, the Rear Guard immediately opened the second gate to let the citizens escape.

The most experienced Garrison members were already fighting titans that reached close enough to endanger the plan.

Along with them were Xin and Rosaline. They were called to support the rest of the Rear Guard, hand-picked by Captain Simon.

The short man had a relatively good relationship with Melda and he knew that these two girls could rival an entire squad.

He could tell that they were different just by looking into their eyes.

Despite being young women, those two had lived through hell and that was noticeable for someone with his skills. There was something that happened to them that made them grew into lethal weapons.

The two friends were waiting on a rooftop, keeping a close eye on any threats to Trost's people.

Unfortunately for everyone, the retreat was taking longer than expected. It looked like there were some merchants blocking the gate with their wagons.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps began to echo through the corridor of buildings. The noise kept getting louder and the ground started shaking.

Everyone knew what was happening. The people in the gate looked back and when a gigantic shadow appeared meters away from them, they shouted, "Titan!" "Move that shit!" "Run!"

People were panicking. The giant kept running and it was now evident that it was an aberrant type.

This type of Titan was known for having unique ways of movement and they somehow acted on their own terms.

In this case, the Titan kept pushing through the formation, ignoring the soldiers and heading straight to the citizens.

In front of him, a senior Garrison soldier tried to warn the rest of his comrades, "Rear Guard, enter formation!"

The Titan kept running in a fast pace, while wagging its arms. Its movement was similar to a human sprinting.

The lipless smile and the glint on its eyes showed excitement.

The Garrison member wasn't as fast as the Titan, and was struck down violently with a single swing of the giant's right arm.

It looked exactly like what a human would do to an annoying fly.

The soldier's body sailed into a building, getting squashed immediately.

A group of Garrison members were already chasing the Titan, but it seemed like they wouldn't make it in time.

At this pace, the Titan would definitely be able to kill at least half of the people that were standing on the ground.

Suddenly, two lone figures dashed through the group of Garrison members and with an amazing speed, moving closer to their target.

The ones who were able to put up a fight were Xin and Rosaline.

"I'll stop its movement!" The Asiatic girl said as she shot her hook at the Titan's left leg.

Using the gas to propel herself, Xin kept gaining speed as she used her hook to get closer.

Taking an attack stance in mid-air, Xin took aim at the Titan's left heel. In a quick strike, she ripped through the Titan's flesh, making it lose its balance and fall face-first against the ground.

Seeing that her friend's plan had worked, Rosaline hooked her 3DMG on the giant's neck and in a brusque swing; she was able to cut through its vital point.

_"They're so weak... They can't defend anyone,"_ Rosaline thought with disdain towards the rest of the Rear Guard.

If the two of them hadn't been there, most of the people at the gate would be dead by now.

Jumping off the Titan's head, Rosaline met her friend Xin and gave her a weak smile, "Good job."

"Thank you," Xin said, nodding. Despite being able to stop its movement, Xin knew that she had almost missed the joint and that mistake could cost her life.

Looking at her blades, she noticed that she had used almost all their extension just to bring down one leg. They were worn out in a single hit.

Xin felt embarrassed. As a soldier she was taught how to cut efficiently into a Titan's flesh, but doing it against a real target was much harder than she expected.

She knew that Rose noticed her mistake as well. It was evident by the glare that the pink haired girl bore when she noticed the condition of her blades.

She let out a quiet sigh. She hadn't been focused since she left the headquarters with Simon and Rosaline.

Despite volunteering herself to help, her mind kept her distracted with concerned thoughts about her squad.

She was truly concerned about their well-being. She never thought that she would be able to trust other humans again, but her friends were different. They really cared about her.

Antonio was always a bit reckless and Jessica was childish and innocent. Xin knew that this would cause the two of them some trouble.

Thinking about Richard, her heart skipped a bit. _"He's okay!"_ She reassured herself. Of course he would be, right?

She knew that Richard was the smartest in their group and his selfish way of thinking would probably keep him out of trouble. However, she was still worried about him. _"Why?"_ She kept asking herself.

Gazing at her friend sideways to avoid startling her, she noticed how serious Rosaline was about completing this task.

Despite this, Rose's green eyes had a look of sadness. It was evident that the girl just wanted to finish as fast as she could, in order to get back to the place where she felt safe and happy.

Rose let out a sigh; she was just wishing that nothing bad would happen to Elisa while she was away. She felt a chill when thinking of losing her.

Looking at the sky, both girls noticed that it was about to rain. Maybe this would help wash away the smell of blood and burned flesh.

This definitely fit into the hellish scenario in Trost. Both girls started to feel like something bad was about to happen.

* * *

Retreating once more to the rooftops, the girls noticed that Simon was now making his way towards the gate and he seemed to be somewhat upset.

Stopping in front of the crowd, the small Captain shouted in anger, "What's going on here!?"

"You should have retreated by now!" He added, before giving them time to answer his question.

His anger made most of the people flinch, and then they looked at the ones dressed in the fancy suits. Three men were blocking the entrance with wagons full with merchandise and it seemed like they were trying to save their goods first.

"The wagons!" Someone gained courage to voice their problems. "They keep blocking the way, telling us to help push the goods," Someone else added.

Everyone was now focused on the merchants. Their leader decided to shout back. "You fools! Who do you think it is that puts the food on your table? It's me!" The man said, pointing at his wagon.

"I told you that this would be faster if you help, so just help us push!" Removing a sack of money from his pocket he added, "I'll pay for the help, here!" He threw the bag towards Simon.

"Bring some of your men and help us push." The merchant said with a cocky grin.

Simon was fuming. His face was now red in anger. He grabbed the bag of coins and threw it violently at the leader's head. "You better move out of the way or I'll chop you three to bits and feed you to the Titans!"

"Haha! You can't do that! I know your Commander, and just like these peasants, I'm the one that feeds you!" Once again, the arrogant man was only making it worse.

"I have soldiers dying out there, fighting to help you survive and you keep stalling the plan! If you don't move, your food won't be needed, in fact, if you keep this up, the Titans will come rushing this way and they'll kill us all! Wall Rose will definitely be lost... So, do you value your merchandise this much?"

Simon removed his blades from the holsters and took a fighting stance. The two henchmen rushed him with pocketknives, but the short man easily dodged their attacks.

Simon then attacked one of them, delivering a powerful blow to his forehead, using the handles of his sword.

The second man kept resisting, but after disarming him, the Captain simply kicked him in the stomach, with enough strength to paralyze him for a few minutes.

Seeing that his two men were already out of the way, the cowardly merchant immediately waved his hands and shouted in panic, "Okay, I'll move out of the way!"

As he said this, the man whistled to the driver and they started to push back the wagon.

The people of Trost were finally able to cross the through the gate and they thanked the Captain who had helped them in this tough situation.

After receiving a few cheers and words of thanks, the Captain climbed to the rooftops, heading straight towards Rosaline and Xin.

Giving them an honest smile, the Captain said, "You did well, girls! Thank you for the help."

Seeing the scary Captain acting so sincere made the girls flinch in shock. They still nodded and thanked him while saluting.

Looking at the gate once more, Simon continued, "You girls can go ahead and retreat as well. The citizens are almost done crossing the Wall and I'll soon send someone to ring the bells."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I've got to go help my friends!" Rosaline said while jumping out of the roof, flying away on her 3DMG.

Simon scoffed at her reaction, he was expecting something like this to happen. The Captain bid farewell to Xin and went to inform the other members.

_"Retreat... What should I do?"_ Xin thought to herself. She didn't know why she was so hesitant about this. The most rational option was to follow Simon's orders and escape safely to the inner Wall.

Rubbing the smooth stone in her hand, she tried to calm herself, but her mind kept her busy with thoughts about her friends and her past.

Why was she so troubled about this? She thought that those 3 years of living alone inside Wall Maria had taught her not to worry about other people and prioritize her own safety.

She always kept telling herself that all humans were rotten, just like those who forced her mother into prostitution, which led to her death.

So why was she so worried about those three people? Why had she started to admire the Scouting Legion, making her willing to risk her life for the better of mankind?

She let out a quiet sigh and stuck her small stone back in her breast pocket.

Now she was finally in control of her emotions. She knew the answer to her questions. She was acting like this because in the last three years, she had grown to trust and love those three idiots that were making her worry so much.

Just like Rose, Xin launched herself in the air using the 3DMG, trying to catch up with her friend. _"I think I understand you now,"_ Xin thought to herself, with a small smile on her lips.

* * *

**-A few minutes later-**

**Normal POV**

Several minutes passed since the soldiers had started to mobilize in order to start the special plan made to stop a situation like this.

Unfortunately, it seemed like their effort was in vain. The soldiers from the Garrison weren't known for being the most skillful.

Most of them decided to join this branch since they couldn't make it to the Military Police and they couldn't find the courage to the face Titans.

This psychological fear was what caused many soldiers to lose their lives today.

In fact, the soldiers assigned to the Front Guard had all died after facing the first horde of giants.

Seeing that at this rate the Titan's would occupy the whole district before giving time to the citizens to escape, the Middle Guard members were forced to ask for the trainees' help.

Several groups of young soldiers were already sent into the battlefield and most of them hadn't returned or reported to their superiors since.

The next group of trainees was already in formation on top of a building, waiting impatiently for further orders.

"I'm finally going to kick some Titan ass!" Elisa shouted in anger, somewhat excited to know that she after three years of training she could finally get some revenge on those who stole everything from her.

"Yeah! I'm finally be able to see them up close." Cain said with a dreamy expression. His weird attraction to those beasts always made everyone think of him as a bit off.

He couldn't avoid being curious about them. After all, everyone talked about them so much, but nobody knew their origin or what their real purpose was.

Cain actually didn't like them at all. From a young age, he was always curious and this made him join the military in order to learn more about them.

Alina couldn't believe what they were saying. She knew that Cain wasn't from Shiganshina, but how could Elisa act like this after facing the Rock Titan twice?

Of course the blonde girl wanted to avenge her father and brother too, but her comrades just acted too casually about all this.

Alberto was also afraid, he couldn't deny it, but since the day that his parents sacrificed themselves to save him, he promised that he wouldn't run anymore and now he was ready to face them.

"Yeah, let's hit them back!" The tanned boy shouted, trying to convince himself that this time he couldn't back down.

Alina smile weakly at her friends and nodded. She kept her arms behind her back trying to hide the fact that she was shaking badly from anxiety.

The sound of wire being pulled alerted the four trainees.

"Get ready trainees, it's your turn!" The order came from a middle aged Garrison soldier with whitish hair.

The expression that he had on his face made the trainees flinch. The grown man looked scared. His face was sweaty and his eyes looked agitated, like an insane gaze that someone who hadn't slept for weeks.

Recovering from the shock of being called to action, Elisa decided to take the lead, "Let's go!" She shouted, trying to give her friends a morale boost.

The trainees jumped down and began swinging through the rows of buildings.

Flying a couple of meters, the trainees couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.

Everything seemed to be extremely quiet and the streets that they passed looked exactly the same as before.

Seeing that everything was going well so far made the group feel relieved and confident about their odds of surviving.

Elisa was feeling excited, _"Yes, I can do this! I'll kill them!"_ She thought to herself. Her mind was only focused on fighting the naked giants.

The squad kept flying, finally entering the part of the city that was assigned to the Front Guard, and kept pushing forward using their 3DMG.

* * *

After a few seconds, Alina spotted something. "G-Guys, over there! I-I saw something!" The blonde girl called out, pointing towards the dark alley that they just passed.

Making a U-turn, the trainees went to check if there was anything there.

When they reached said location, they noticed that sitting close to the wall was a small Titan, probably around three meters tall. It seemed that it was busy with something.

In front of it, there was some spattered blood. When the Titan noticed their presence, it turned its deformed head towards the trainees, revealing that it was chewing the lower half of a trainee's corpse.

Its massive eyes showed a look of annoyance and it turned its head around and kept on chewing.

This made Elise lose her cool. The Titan wasn't even eating the corpse; it was simply enjoying the motion of chewing on it, as if it was gum.

"You bastard!" Elisa shouted while heading straight towards the Titan. Noticing the incoming danger, the Titan spit the legs of the dead trainee and rushed to tackle Elisa.

The Titan tried to grab her wire, but its small size wasn't helping it and Elisa was able to dodge its attack swiftly.

Elisa flew past the Titan and once she saw an opening, she shot her hook into its neck and she pushed her body towards it using the gas.

Taking aim with her blades, she spun her body, being able to dug deep into the Titan's neck, "Die!" She shouted in anger.

Soon after, the Titan's body went limp and it fell down. Its body rapidly started to evaporate and only the skeleton remained on the floor.

With all the commotion, another Titan appeared from the other side of the alley. When it extend its body, it became clear that the bald Titan was one of the tallest types.

Being on the other side of the building, the trainees were secure for now, but the Titan's bloody smile and its horrifying appearance made their cover feel unsafe.

The 15-meter class Titan raised its arm and, in a quick swipe, hit the rooftop and sent debris flying towards the trainees.

Still feeling the adrenaline from her last kill, Elisa dodged the rocks with ease and shouted, "Guys, prepare to attack!"

The others also jumped out of the way using their 3DMG, but, unfortunately, the wreckage of the chimney hit with Cain and he was now on the ground, screaming in pain.

"ARGH! Help me, guys! I'm stuck!" Cain shouted as he tried to pull his left foot out from under the debris.

"Alina, help him! Elisa let's flank it!" Alberto shouted with confidence.

With all the commotion, Alina was hesitating a little bit, but she quickly flew towards her teammate.

Running on the rooftop, Alberto took the role of bait and was using the Titan's slow movement to its advantage, "Over here, ugly face! The tanned boy taunted the Titan, and it seemed that his shouting was working.

Seeing that Alberto had created an opening and that the Titan was still distracted, Elisa flew to the Titan's back and once more hooked her 3DMG to its nape.

Feeling the wires hit its flesh, the Titan reached its neck in a sudden move and it started to push Elisa.

"AHHH!" Elisa shouted in horror as the Titan made her body swing against the ground, as if it was playing with a yo-yo. Her back cracked instantly, making a loud noise.

Her eyes filled with tears. The pain created by the impact was too much. She was starting to lose consciousness and her lower half went numb. _"I can't die! Not yet!"_ Elisa thought to herself while holding her blades tightly.

"Elisa, hang in there!" Alberto shouted and immediately flew towards the Titan that was still holding Elisa's wires.

Distracted by the fact that Elisa was caught by the Titan, Alberto didn't noticed that from behind him there was an aberrant running at extreme speed.

When he looked back, it was already too late. The Titan quickly jumped towards Alberto, catching him with its mouth, in mid-air.

"N-No!" Elisa managed to shout weakly. She gripped her blades in rage as the Titan who immobilized her grabbed her waist, getting ready to eat her.

Despite being seconds away from death, Elisa couldn't help but wish that she could at least bring down that brown haired aberrant that bit her friend in half.

The Titan swallowed Alberto's legs and then just walked away, leaving Alberto's upper body lying on the ground, spurting out blood.

Elisa kept struggling with her blades and managed to blind the Titan, but the giant simply opened its disproportionate mouth and dropped her in it, swallowing her whole body.

* * *

The smell of food was attracting more Titans, and Alina was still trying to help move Cain out of the debris.

"Push harder, Alina!" Alina had her arms locked on Cain's chest and kept trying to push him out, but it seemed like there was no way to remove his foot.

Alina started panicking and dropped Cain on the floor. She removed her blades from the holster and said, "I-I'm sorry C-Cain! I promise that I'll make it quick!"

The girl struggled to walk towards her friend, her blades shaking in her hands as she kept sobbing softly.

For a moment, Cain thought that she was about to kill him or just simply leave him there, but he noticed that it wasn't either of those options.

Alina stopped in front of his left foot and said, "You might want to bite your sleeve."

Cain noticed that Alina's face had darkened. She was shaking in fear.

"Do it!" Cain started to bite his arm, getting ready to what was coming.

With a single swipe of her blade, Alina cut off Cain's foot and his leg immediately started gushing blood. "Awk!" Cain was almost choking on its own tongue from the immense pain that he started to feel.

Alina rushed to his aid and removed the sleeve from his mouth.

Seeing that Cain was still gasping for air, Alina opened his mouth and noticed that with the shock, her friend's tongue was now blocking the airways.

If she forced his tongue to its normal position it could worsen the seizure, so Alina decided to act accordingly to the CPR knowledge that she had.

Alina laid him to one side and she quickly removed his tight jacket that was probably just making the situation worse.

"Calm down, Cain. It's ok!" She said, trying to reassure her friend. She knew that this had all happened due to the shock, and Cain probably had swallowed too much saliva.

Alina cut part of his jacket and quickly applied the cloth to his left leg, trying to suppress the blood loss.

Cain started to spit out some of the bodily fluids that he had swallowed and he seemed to be breathing normally now.

However, he was still too weak and was about to pass out.

They had to move out of here quickly. The ground started shaking and Alina's heart pounded faster as she kept hearing the footsteps getting closer to them.

Being skinny and smaller than Cain, Alina knew that she wouldn't be able to carry him on her back while keeping her balance on the 3DMG.

The Titans kept coming closer to the alley where the two young soldiers were. Alina quickly laid Cain against the building and she held her blades out, ready to face whatever it was coming.

She knew that it was more than one Titan. By the shaking and the sound she would probably say that there were two Titans approaching them for each side.

They were surrounded with nowhere to run.

Alina sighed and waited patiently for the death bringers' arrival. She knew that she could at least bait them out of Cain's sight.

Maybe he would be able to regain conscience and escape out of there.

She wished she was stronger, but taking out two Titans seemed too much for her.

Hope washed away as the first raindrops fell over the two of them. This was going to be a tough battle.

* * *

**Xin's POV**

My bad feeling had come true, unfortunately for me and all the other trainees.

When I was finally able to check on my friends, they had to go and risk their lives once more.

I moved the bangs out of eyes, thinking that there were low chances of us surviving, especially those three.

Rosaline was now heading straight towards the HQ and flying behind her were Antonio and Richard.

They had taken the lead, creating an opening for us to resupply our gas tanks. Richard had trusted me to lead the trainees in safety, but was I capable of doing such thing?

If it was him, I was sure that everything would be okay. I knew that behind the lazy guy façade there was another side of him that he almost never showed to anyone.

The guy was genius in terms of strategy. Thanks to him our squad was always able to stay on par with Rose's group.

Jessica approached and gave me a relieved smile, "Thank god you're safe!" She then wrapped me in a tight hug and I patted gently her back.

"Those two..." Instead of relief, Jessica was now filled with sorrow when thinking that their friends would probably end up dying due to Rose's rage.

"Rose's running out of gas," I commented, remembering that I also needed to refill.

Hearing this, Jessica's expression became serious. "I still have enough gas. I can lend her my tank... I just don't want those two to die."

I was about to tell her not to risk her life, but the words didn't leave my mouth.

Of course I wanted to make sure that Jessica would survive, but at the same time her idea wasn't that bad.

If she traded tanks with Rose, the strongest girl in the Trainee Squad could vent out her anger on Titans, creating an opening to enter the HQ.

This plan would also guarantee the survival of Richard and Antonio.

If Jessica ended up running out of gas, Antonio and Richard would be capable of flying while carrying her, just like what happened in many training exercises.

Nodding to her plan, I said, "Do it! Stop Rose and save our boys!"

At what I said, Jessica flashed me a smile, her eyes gleaming in hope. She waved back at me and started to follow them.

I sighed to myself, _"I'm growing to be as manipulative as Richard."_

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder, bringing me back to the real world.

I noticed that Asta was the one requesting my attention. "So, I heard that crazy half-naked guy saying that you would be in charge of leading us to the headquarters..."

I knew that she was hiding something behind those words, but I nodded and said, "Yes, if everyone agrees, I'll try my best!"

She scoffed and said, "There are a couple of people here with plenty of gas in their tanks. I was thinking that it would be safer to withdraw those trainees separately. There's no use on risking more lives."

I almost choked when I heard those words coming out of Asta's mouth. She was known for being a loner, but this was the first time that I had seen her being so honest.

"H-Hey, don't misunderstand! I'm just saying this cuz' I happen to be one of those with enough gas. I just want to ensure my safety," She said, trying to convince herself that she wasn't doing this for the others.

I had to hold the urge to laugh at her reaction. She was genuinely embarrassed.

Calming myself, I nodded and said, "Seeing that you already have something in mind, group those with the most gas and retreat to the inner Wall."

Asta pouted angrily, noticing that I was smiling at her reaction, but nevertheless nodded and headed towards a separate group of trainees that somehow looked happier than the rest.

In the group of trainees that were speaking with Asta, I was able to identify Emelia and Emma. _"They are the lucky ones,"_ I thought to myself while facing the rest of the trainees that were seated on the rooftops, panicking like little children.

* * *

I decided to take the lead and standing on the middle of the rooftop I shouted, "Guys, now it's our chance! Rosaline and the others are creating an opening to the HQ and if we push onward with them, we might be able to refill our tanks!"

"That's crazy! We'll end up dying!" Kaspar shouted back.

His expression showed that he was acting just like a scared little boy. At first, it seemed like he was worried about everyone, but the hostile way that he said it made it looked more like he just wanted to survive.

"We won't be safe forever on these damned rooftops!" Jeorge shouted back, seeming to be acting too much on his emotions. _"He's probably worried about Cain. I understand his pain."_

"The supply crew hasn't been doing their job, they're probably dead... The HQ must be full of small class Titans. But if we stay here and do nothing, the Titans will swarm this area and we'll be easy snacks with our low mobility." Making a dramatic pause in his speech, Jeorge hit his gas tanks, trying to get everyone attention. "Let's take this chance and head to the HQ! We can do this!" Finally finishing his rant, he pumped his fist in the air, trying to motivate everyone.

Some of them actually got up and started to head our way, but most of them were still hesitating.

"Let's do this. Lead us, Xin." Jeorge said, giving me a thumbs up.

"I believe in you, Xin. Let's fight to the end!" Samuel, the fearful boy, said, giving me a nervous smile.

Everyone was counting on me. _"I can do this!"_ I told myself, before addressing the rest of them. "C'mon, let's go! We aren't going to let our comrades fight alone. If we stay here we die, but if we fight back, we can survive!" After I finished, I jumped off the roof and headed straight towards the HQ.

"Never expected you guys to be so brave. Damn it, let's go!" Kaspar shouted as he started to fly just behind me, accompanied by his best friend Iosif.

I was soon joined at the front by Jeorge, Samuel, and the rest of the trainees, who all started shouting, "For humanity!"

Suddenly every trainee that needed a refill were behind us and with a clear goal in our heads, we aimed to reach the HQ safely.

* * *

**Antonio's POV**

Using the 3DMG to the best of my abilities, I tried to keep with Rose's rhythm as she flew throughout the middle of the city in a dazzling speed.

Using the momentum from my last swing, I kept running from one rooftop to another to avoid wasting gas.

Suddenly, on my right, on the top the buildings on the opposite side of the street, I spotted Richard trying to catch up with us. "She's using too much gas!" He pointed out the obvious.

"Yeah, I know! So, you ended up coming anyway..." I answered in an awkward way, feeling bad for insulting him earlier.

"I wouldn't let you die alone, so I tagged along!" He shouted while gasping for air. I could swear that right now he was flashing his stupid smirk at me.

"Yeah, right! Let's just find El and retreat to the HQ!" He nodded.

To be honest, right now the path to the HQ was clear. During her rage, Rosaline made sure to kill every Titan that she encountered.

If every soldier were as strong as this girl, living in a world without Titans wouldn't be just a dream.

As we kept flying, Rose noticed two Titans acting strangely. They kept walking into an alley, not even bothering with us.

Rosaline killed the first one with ease, hooking her 3DMG into its neck, but when she tried to swing around the other Titan, her gas ran out and she ended up falling onto the roof of the nearest building.

Now this situation was a tough one. In front of Rose was the Titan that she had tried to kill. It was roughly 8 meters tall and it could easily reach roof and kill her in one hit.

And on the other side of the alley, there was a taller Titan with a bald head, making its ways towards the hurt girl.

I saw Rosaline struggle to get back onto her feet, but fell once again. It seemed like her leg wasn't working right.

"Richard! Handle the smaller one that's closer to you! I'll distract Mr. Baldy."

"Guys, wait! I'll help you!" The voice was Jessica's and I was surprised to see that she was joining us.

I saw that she quickly joined Richard's side, where he started scolding her for her reckless behavior.

Sighing in a mixture of nostalgia, I started to run on the roof, trying to distract the 15-meter class Titan.

* * *

**Richard's POV**

When I saw that the one calling us was Jessica, I almost had a heart attack. She kept using her gas and quickly made her way to my side.

"What the hell were you thinking? You could have died!" I reprimanded her as I made my way towards the Titan that Rose had failed to kill.

"I-I was worried about you!" She said, almost tearing up, happy to see that we were still fine.

"Okay, okay! I get it, so please don't cry!" I said, trying to make her to stop acting that way. Now wasn't the time to act on our emotions.

She wiped her face and gave me a childish smile. "What's that down there?" Jessica pointed out towards the alley. I noticed that there was a blonde girl carrying a red haired boy that had an injury on his left leg.

Knowing that our trainee squad only had two red haired boys, I quickly deduced that those trainees were Cain and Alina.

"That's Elisa's squad! We need to kill that Titan!" I shouted to Jessica and she nodded. "Do you remember the duo move that we talked about during the dummy exercises?"

Jessica narrowed her eyes, trying to remember, "Ahh! That one were you immobilize the Titan and I get the kill?"

She was right- that's the strategy that we talked about during our training days.

Antonio would always complain about us not taking our jobs seriously, but this technique that I taught to Jessica allowed the one that was doing the killing to face almost no risks at all.

Knowing that she wasn't exactly the best in terms of fighting and seeing that we need to finish the Titan quickly, this was our best chance. "Exactly! Let's do this; are you ready?"

"Yeah, go for it!" She flew past me heading towards the Titan's back.

I hooked myself on its head, wanting to face it directly.

If I timed my movements wrong, I would probably end up dying.

I sighed in a mixture of bitterness. _"I can't die here! I need to keep living to protect my sister,"_ I thought to myself, trying to calm down.

Well, even if I died, I would still serve my mission of distracting the Titan and Jessica could kill it without difficulty.

She wouldn't get hurt and Alina, Cain and Rose would also survive. This plan didn't seem too bad.

Now that I was flying in a straight line, the Titan was on me. Readjusting my hook to its forehead, I used my gas to propel myself and I shouted, "Hey there, ugly fella! Now you see me-" As I said this, I prepared to throw my blades at the Titan's eyes.

"-now you don't!" When I was close enough, I released my blades and threw them with enough force to pierce them.

The Titan was now stunned for a couple of seconds, covering its damaged eyeballs with its massive hands.

Still hooked on its forehead, I climbed its head and released my hooks, "Do it, now Jessica!"

Being able to catch the Titan distracted, Jessica was able to aim her hooks perfectly at its neck. In a quick movement, she spun around and delivered a clean cut to its nape.

I sighed in relief. The Titan's body went limp and was starting to decompose.

Happy to see that we were able to kill the Titan, Jessica and I knocked fists and headed to rescue Alina and Cain.

* * *

**Normal POV**

While Richard and Jessica were busy trying to kill the smaller Titan, Antonio was struggling to get the taller Titan to notice him. "Hey, come at me, baldy!" the red haired trainee shouted as he kept waving his arms.

Nothing. The Titan paid no attention to him. Seeing that Rosaline was the weakest target, the bald Titan simply ignored Antonio and kept walking towards the girl.

The Titan raised its huge arm and was ready to squash Rose.

Seeing that Antonio failed to distract him and knowing that he was still meters away from it, the red haired boy knew that he wouldn't be able to kill the Titan fast enough.

At this rate there was no hope. Rosaline was going to get hit and she would die.

Suddenly, the Titan stopped moving. Its belly started twitching as if something was inside of it.

Antonio froze in shock. He had never seen anything like this.

The 15-meter Titan started stumbling and suddenly its stomach was ripped apart when a giant arm punched its way out.

The bald Titan fell on its back and it started to decompose, its body covered in hot steam.

Its belly continued to twitch and, suddenly, another Titan appeared from inside the dead corpse. "ARGH!" the Titan roared in anger.

This Titan seemed to be different from the others. It had the appearance of a female, and her body was muscular.

Her complexion was a bit tanned and her hands had no skin covering the muscles and bones. She had short, messy hair and her yellow eyes were glowing in rage.

This Titan fit the 14-meter class.

Rosaline and Antonio were petrified in shock.

They had no words to describe what they saw. That Titan somehow seemed to be different from the normal ones.

When the smoke calmed down, the Titan stretched her arms and, opening her mouth, she said, "K-Kill...M-More..." It seemed like the Titan was grunting, but in fact, she was actually expressing her blood thirst.

Rosaline eyes widened in shock. She somehow felt that this beast was familiar. She wanted to reach out to the Titan, but before she could move, Antonio picked her up and moved her to a safer location.

Now the young trainees had a big problem to deal with: what to do about this new threat?


End file.
